Ollie Pope, the top batsman for England, stated that he would not be shocked if Joe Root overtook Sachin Tendulkar as the all-time best run scorer in Test cricket. On Friday, July 25, Root passed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to reach second on the list of highest Test run-getters.
Tendulkar still leads with 15,921 runs, but the 34-year-old has 13,409 after hitting a spectacular 150 in the fourth Test match against India. Pope commended Root’s consistency and enthusiasm for the game after he helped England post 544 for seven at stumps with a strong 71 on day three. Root has the desire and enduring passion to play Test cricket for England, he said.
Ollie Pope was reported by the Deccan Chronicle as saying, “He loves playing for England in Test cricket more than anything, so I’m sure if his body allows…he’ll obviously be driven to make it to number one but I think he just wants to keep playing for as long as he can.”
“He always has the biggest smile on his face and is still excited to play Test cricket. I wouldn’t be shocked if he could track him down because of his hunger,” he continued.
Although Root was conscious of the figures he had attained, Ollie Pope believed that he was not a person who concentrated on specific accomplishments. Additionally, he expressed his belief that England was well-positioned and had a good chance of winning the fourth Test match at Old Trafford in Manchester.
That’s a really cool one, but he’s not a big fan of landmarks. It’s amazing to have risen to the second-highest Test run-scorer position. He probably knew what that number was, but he’s not the type of guy who wants to brag about it.
“It’s a pretty cool thing to have, but hopefully we can get a win and if we put ourselves in that position, he’ll enjoy that even more,” Ollie Pope said.
The vice-captain of England also thought that the team’s goal was to bat just once during the game in order to increase their lead and then utilise the ball to put pressure on India.
“The goal is simply to obtain as many as possible. Pope said, “There will be a real focus to push that lead to as big as we can and then put as much pressure on with the ball as we can too, because I think this wicket will deteriorate over the next two days.”