Ollie Pope, England’s top-order batsman, has claimed he would not be surprised if Joe Root overtakes Sachin Tendulkar as the all-time best Test run-scorer. On Friday, July 25, Root surpassed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting to move into second position on the list of highest Test run-getters.

While Tendulkar continues to lead with 15,921 runs, the 34-year-old currently has 13,409 runs after scoring a magnificent 150 in the ongoing fourth Test against India. Pope, who scored a good 71 on day three to help England reach 544 for seven at stumps, hailed Root’s consistency and enthusiasm for the game.

He stated that Joe Root has both the desire and the enduring love to play Test cricket for England.

“He loves playing for England in Test cricket more than anything so I’m sure if his body allows…he’ll obviously be driven to make it to number one but I think he just wants to keep playing for as long as he can,” said Pope, according to the Deccan Chronicle.

“With the excitement he still feels about playing Test cricket, he always has a big smile on his face.” With his hunger, I wouldn’t be surprised if he can track him down,” he added.

Pope believed that Root was not someone who focused on particular milestones, while being aware of the statistics he had attained. He also expressed optimism that England was in a solid position and had a good chance of winning the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester.

“He isn’t big on landmarks, but that’s a very cool one. Becoming the second highest Test run-scorer is simply remarkable. I’m sure he understood what the number was, but he’s not the type of guy to brag about stuff like that. “Hopefully, we’ll win, and if we put ourselves in that position, he’ll enjoy it even more, but it’s a pretty cool thing to have,” Pope said.

The England vice-captain also thought that the squad intended to bat only once in the match, with the goal of extending their lead and then using the ball to exert pressure on India.

“The objective is to collect as many as we can. I believe this pitch will degrade over the next two days, so there will be a genuine concentration on increasing that advantage and putting as much pressure on with the ball as possible,” Pope added.