Joe Root Passes Tendulkar to Rank Third in Home Test Runs

London, England — Joe Root‘s 29-run innings during the fifth Test against India at The Oval on August 3, 2025, marked a significant achievement in his cricket career. With this performance, he overtook Sachin Tendulkar, becoming the third-highest run-scorer in home Test matches.

Root now holds a total of 7,220 runs in home Tests, surpassing Tendulkar’s 7,216 runs scored in India. Only Ricky Ponting, with 7,578 runs in Australia, and Mahela Jayawardene, with 7,167 in Sri Lanka, are still ahead of him on the list of top home Test run-scorers. With this innings, Root also crossed the 2,000-run mark against India at home.

As the former captain of England, Root’s contributions to the team have been invaluable, specifically in matches against India. His 29 runs at The Oval helped him join an elite group; only Don Bradman has more runs against a single opponent in home Tests, with 2,354 runs against England.

Root’s innings was brought to an end by superb bowling from Mohammed Siraj during the 33rd over, as he was clean bowled. At the time, England was at 175 for 4, still trailing India’s first-innings total of 224.

The ongoing Test series has been a showcase for Root’s batting prowess, having scored 403 runs across seven innings in the series, averaging 67.17, including two centuries. As Root continues to perform at this level at age 34, many speculate about his potential to further his record.

Root made his Test debut in 2012 against India in Nagpur and has since played 157 Tests. His career totals stand at 13,409 runs, positioning him as one of the all-time greats in cricket history. The conversation around whether he can eventually catch up to Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs is ongoing, with analysts and former players weighing in on the topic.