NEW DELHI: Joe Root‘s majestic 150 at Old Trafford in the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy not only put England in the driver’s seat against India but also saw him leapfrog Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket history.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Root, now on 13,409 runs from 157 Tests, is within 2,500 runs of Sachin Tendulkar‘s legendary mark of 15,921. While tributes poured in for the 34-year-old Englishman, it was former England captain Michael Vaughan who grabbed attention with a bold prediction.

Speaking on Cricbuzz alongside Dinesh Karthik, Vaughan said: “Sachin is a God. We know that. But I absolutely believe Joe Root will go past Tendulkar. I’ve looked into my crystal ball… I think it’ll be the fourth Test in 2027 against Australia. Pat Cummins will bowl one on his hip, Root will glance it, and he’ll go past Sachin. That’s the dream. That’s the crystal ball.”Karthik, amused but respectful, replied, “Let’s start by saying Sachin Tendulkar is not a Yorkie, even though he played one season there. But jokes apart, I think Root will get within touching distance. Whether he goes past it…”Australia legend Ricky Ponting, whom Root overtook on the list, also backed the Yorkshireman to surpass the Master Blaster. “Just the one more to go now,” Ponting said on Sky Sports. “He’s about 2,500 runs behind, but the way he’s been batting the last few years, there’s absolutely no reason why he can’t become No. 1.”Ponting lauded Root’s appetite post-30, highlighting his 25 centuries since then, and added: “He’s not someone obsessed with stats, but when he’s done, he’ll look back and be proud. If he plays another 20-30 Tests and keeps scoring the way he is — 85 per game — Tendulkar’s record is definitely in reach.”Root’s latest hundred — his 38th — also ties him with Kumar Sangakkara on the all-time century list, and could very well shape the outcome of this series.