Sachin Tendulkar’s Everest in Sight? At 93 a Test, Joe Root Could Reach 15,921 by 2028 — Here’s How

Sachin Tendulkar isn’t just a name in cricket. He’s a moment etched in time. It wasn’t merely the mountain of runs he amassed that made him immortal; it was his unmatched ability to pause an entire nation, unite a billion hearts, and make everything else fade away within the blink of an eye when he walked out to bat is perhaps a cricketing folklore most of us will cherish sharing with our grandkids. Many would not believe it. Some would simply dismiss it as too dramatic. In one of his books, the late Peter Roebuck pictured it to perfection.

"Everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This genius can stop time in India," he wrote, while reminiscing about a moment when he was on a train from Delhi to Shimla with Tendulkar batting on 98.

Tendulkar's 24 years on the 22 yards were nothing short of spectacular. He finished with 15921 runs in 200 Tests, which, since then, has become the summit of Test cricket. In other words, he created his own Everest based on the principles of the four D's of success - desire, dedication, discipline, and determination. With former England captain Joe Root inching closer to that summit every year, he might have to pause for a second to reflect on what lies ahead and how close he is to conquering the final frontier of Test cricket. Because from here on, it will be a race against time, his own self, and form that often tends to leave you deserted in the twilight of one's career.

Root is 34 now. He has played 153 Test matches so far, and has scored 13006 runs. The rate at which he is going gives him a realistic chance to achieve the unthinkable by 2028. He has played 55 Test matches in the past four years (excluding 2025) and scored 5149 runs at an average of 56.97. The average Test matches that the England cricket team has played over the last four years is close to 14 per year, and Root's average runs per Test stands at 93.61 during this period. If he continues to hold on to his form, he would need another 31 Test matches (approx) to score the remaining 2915 runs to reach the top.

Year	Tests Played	Runs Scored	AVG Runs/Tests	AVG/Yearly
2021	15	1708	113.86	61.00
2022	15	1098	73.2	45.75
2023	8	787	98.37	65.58
2024	17	1556	91.52	55.57
2021-24	55	5149	93.61	56.97
Projection-2028	31.1	2915	93.62	____

England are scheduled to play 21 Test matches in the next two years, including the five-match Test series against India, starting June 20, 2025. This series will kick-start the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle for both teams.

England's Test Fixture Till February 2027

Opponent	No. of Tests	Venue	Date
Zimbabwe	1	Home	May 2025
India	5	Home	June 2025
Australia	5	Away	November 2025
New Zealand	3	Home	June 2026
Pakistan	3	Home	August 2026
South Africa	3	Away	December 2026
Bangladesh	2	Away	February 2027
Total	21	_____	_____

Tendulkar played 24 Test matches between 2011 and 2013 - his last three years in international cricket and managed to score 1389 runs, a tad below the high standards he had set over a prolonged period. He averaged 23.80 in 2012 and 34.50 in 2013. As you get older, it gets that much difficult for a professional sportsperson to live up to the high standards, and for Tendulkar, it was no different. And for Root, it will be no different. Every run for the former England captain from here on will be like every step up Everest, and it will require breathless resolve. With dreams of surpassing Tendulkar, Root must prepare for the thin air he is about to encounter in his quest to conquer the Everest of Test cricket, where the pressure is high, the margin of error is bare minimum, and history waits in silence.

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