In Ashes 2025, Joe Root ended his Australian century drought with two hundreds. His 41st Test century equals Ricky Ponting’s tally, reigniting debate on his chase of Sachin Tendulkar’s records for most Test runs and centuries, analyzing his chances.
Former England captain and talismanic batter Joe Root is apparently having his dream Australia tour in the Ashes 2025 series. Root was at the centre of attention before the commencement of the Ashes at the Optus Stadium in Perth, as the 34-year-old did not have a single century on Australian soil while arriving Down Under in November.
However, Root has flipped the script this time by not scoring one but two centuries on his fourth Ashes tour of Australia. In the previous three tours Down Under, the England star batter had struggled to convert his starts into big scores, going without a century across 14 matches. In the Ashes 2025, which will conclude after the ongoing Sydney Test, the former captain Joe Root has shown flashes of brilliance, scoring two significant innings amid a series of low scores.
The veteran England batter has shown resilience and fight throughout the series, producing a couple of strong innings while struggling for consistency in others, often carrying the middle order during tricky periods for his team.
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Two Australian Centuries and Go Level with Ricky Ponting
Joe Root put an end to the Australian century curse during the Pink Ball Test at the Gabba, but it was not enough for England to secure a victory over Australia, leaving them trailing 0-2 in the five-match series. After inconsistent performances in the next five innings, with scores read 15, 19, 39, 0, and 15, the veteran England batter bounced back with his second century of the ongoing Ashes series at Sydney.
Resuming England’s first innings at 211/3 on Day 2 of the Sydney Test, Joe Root was batting on 72 off 103 balls and in an unbeaten 154-run stand for the fourth wicket with Harry Brook. The pair was steadying the visitors’ batting until Brook’s dismissal at 226/4, ending a 169-run partnership. Thereafter, Root anchored England’s innings as he completed his second century of the series in just 146 balls.
With his 41st Test century, Joe Root goes level with former Australia captain Ricky Ponting to become the batter with the third-most joint centuries in Test cricket. Even after completing his century, England’s ace batter did not stop there, as he further added crucial runs to the hosts’ first-innings total while notching up 150 off 226 balls.
Joe Root’s stay at the crease was perceived as a serious threat to the Australian bowling attack as he skillfully rotated the strike, punishing the loose deliveries, and frustrating the bowlers with his patience and timing until his stay at the crease came to an end after playing a brilliant innings of 160 off 242 balls, including 15 fours.
Root’s crucial 94-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Jamie Smith (46) was pivotal for England as the visitors posted a commanding first-innings total of 384 in 97.3 overs.
Root’s Pursuit of ,Sachin Tendulkar’s, Record
With his 160-run innings, Joe Root now has a Test aggregate of 13987 runs, sparking renewed excitement over his chase of Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of 15,921 runs and putting him firmly on the radar as one of the modern era’s most prolific run-scorers.
The England ace batter is just 1934 runs away from breaking Tendulkar’s all-time Test record. This target keeps fans and cricket pundits eagerly watching every innings as he edges closer to becoming the highest run-scorer in Test history. Moreover, Root appears to be pursuing another Test record of Sachin Tendulkar, which is the most Test centuries in history (51).
Having already racked up 41 centuries in his almost 14-year Test career, Joe Root needs just 11 more to surpass Tendulkar’s record of 51, a milestone that would further cement his place as the greatest batters in Test cricket history and add another remarkable chapter to his illustrious career. Root would go to the second spot on the all-time Test century scorer list if he overtakes former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis’ tally of 45 centuries, moving closer to the pinnacle of cricketing records held by Tendulkar.
With Sachin Tendulkar’s double Test record in sight, Joe Root added valuable runs in the concluding stages of the Ashes 2025, inching closer to the former India captain and batting legend’s historic milestone and keeping fans and pundits captivated by his remarkable journey this series.
Can Root Shatter Tendulkar’s Double Test Record?
Talking about Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record of 15,921 runs, Joe Root is less than 2000 runs short of rewriting cricket history, with 1934 runs remaining for him to become the highest run-scorer in the history of the longest format of the game. Joe Root is currently 35 and will turn 36 in December 2026, meaning he will have to maintain his fitness, form, and longevity over the next few years to realistically chase and potentially eclipse Tendulkar’s monumental Test record.
From 2021 to 2025, Joe Root was scoring at an average of 1190 in every Test calendar year, keeping him well on track to challenge the Indian batting legend’s record if he maintains this level of consistency in the coming years. Assuming that Root has 4 years left to play, including 2026, the England ace batter needs to aggregate roughly 484 runs per year to surpass Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record.
Moreover, Joe Root is just 11 centuries away from transcending Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 51 Test centuries. The chances look realistic if the former England captain maintains his current form and consistency over the next few years.
Since 2021, Root has 24 Test centuries, including a century in the first innings of the Ashes series finale at the SCG, something that proves he remains a serious contender to chase down Tendulkar’s records in both runs and centuries. Scoring 23 centuries in 65 Test matches from 2021 to 2025, averaging roughly a century every three innings, Root has shown that he remains a prolific run-scorer, keeping him on course to challenge Tendulkar’s records in both runs and centuries.
For the next few years, Joe Root will need to stay fit and score consistently to close in on Sachin Tendulkar’s historic Test records, which were untouched since the Indian batting legend’s retirement in 2013.
