Shane Watson believes Joe Root will finish on top amongst Fab 4
The former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson believes that England batsman Joe Root will end his Test career with more runs than the other players of the Fab Four – Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson. Watson also predicted that Root will be very near to Sachin Tendulkar’s Test record by the end of his career, and even surpass the Indian superstar’s record
Joe Root has made 10015 runs in 118 Test matches for England with an average of 49.57 runs per innings. Steve Smith has scored 8010 runs in 85 matches, whereas Virat Kohli has scored 8043 runs in 101 Tests. Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Williamson has 7289 runs to his name in 87 Test matches.
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Watson’s View on Joe Root
Root recently made headlines for his match-winning century against New Zealand in the Lord’s Test. Watson was asked on The ICC Review how far the England great will go in terms of being the highest run-getter, to which he said, “He’s as good as anyone to be able to go as near as he can.” He has a lot of great cricket ahead of him, so I believe he will get pretty close.
“Based according to where Joe Root is right now, he is the youngest, along with Kane Williamson, who is also 31.” Those two still have a long way to go. I believe Joe Root will come out on top. It is up to the other guys how much cricket they continue to play. They do have plenty of cricket left in them.”
Given that Root is no longer England’s Test captain, Watson believes Root will be even more dangerous with the bat. Watson elaborated: “Now that he’s no longer captain, he’ll have more freedom, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he just flies off again and tends to make the most of the new freedom.”
All-Time Highest Run Scorer in Test Matches
Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting hold the record for the most Test runs. The Indian great has scored 15921 runs in 200 games, whereas the Australian great scored 13378 runs in 168 Tests. It is most likely that Joe root can close down the gap in the next few years.
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