Joe Root achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar in a significant Test cricket record.
Root played a short but unbeaten innings of 23 runs, guiding his team to an 8-wicket victory against New Zealand in the Christchurch Test. In doing so, Root claimed a unique achievement—he is now the highest run-scorer in the final innings of Test matches, surpassing Tendulkar.
Tendulkar had held the record with 1,625 runs in 60 innings. Root overtook him with 1,630 runs in just 49 innings, making the achievement even more impressive. While Tendulkar has three centuries in the fourth innings, Root has two. However, Root’s batting average of 41.79 outshines Tendulkar’s 36.93.
Before Root, Alastair Cook came close to breaking Tendulkar’s record but finished his career with 1,611 runs—level with former South African captain Graeme Smith, who also holds the third spot. The fifth position is occupied by another South African great, Jacques Kallis, with 1,580 runs.
The record for the most centuries in the fourth innings is jointly held by Younis Khan and Kane Williamson, with five centuries each. Williamson, still active, has the opportunity to make the record his own. Four centuries each have been scored by legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Graeme Smith.
So far, only 35 players in Test history have managed to score over 1,000 runs in the fourth innings. Among them, English great Geoffrey Boycott boasts the highest batting average at 58.76, followed closely by Gavaskar at 58.25. Williamson has an average of 53.95 in this context, while Gordon Greenidge stands at 53.19.
As for Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hasan leads with 880 runs in the fourth innings at an average of 44. His tally includes one century and six half-centuries from 24 innings.
Joe Root’s latest achievement cements his status as one of the finest batsmen in Test cricket history, further enhancing his legacy.
