Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar
The young English batter made an immediate impression, scoring 73 off 229 deliveries in the first innings before remaining unbeaten on 20 in the second as the match ended in a draw. The England captain brought up his 69th Test fifty in September 2026, moving ahead of the Indian legend’s tally of 68.
Tendulkar said. During an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, the former India captain was asked about Root’s pursuit of his record. Tendulkar responded with high praise for the English batter, recalling the impression he had made during his debut. “I’ve always rated him very highly and it was evident to me in his first test match that he was going to make it big! However, Root has already gone past Tendulkar in the list of most Test half-centuries.
The batting legend also reiterated his proposal to restructure One-Day International cricket, suggesting that the traditional 50-over contest should be divided into two separate 25-over innings for each team. Under his proposed system, teams would retain all 10 wickets across the full 50 overs rather than receiving separate sets of wickets for each innings. Split the 50 overs into two innings of 25 each. But keep 10 wickets for the full 50 overs and use just one ball throughout.
We need to do something before bowlers go extinct,” he said. He also suggested using a single ball throughout the match. “My suggestion is simple. That way the contest between bat and ball stays alive, and both teams get to bat and bowl under the dew. It balances the game for both sides.
Interestingly, Tendulkar was part of the Indian team against which Root made his Test debut in Nagpur in December 2012.