Root vs Tendulkar: Comparing their numbers in home Tests
What's the story
Joe Root has displaced Sachin Tendulkar as the second-highest run-scorer in Test matches at home. The Englishman achieved this milestone en route to a 29-run knock in the second innings of the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval. Interestingly, Root and Tendulkar also happen to be the top two highest run-getters in Test history. Many even back the Englishman to displace the Indian talisman at the top. Here we compare Root and Tendulkar's records in home Tests.
Performance
Who owns better average in home Tests?
Root's 29 in the aforementioned Oval Test took him to 7,224 runs on home soil in Tests. As per ESPNcricinfo, Root averages 55.14 across 146 innings at home. Tendulkar tallied 7,216 runs at an average of 52.67, having batted 153 times in home Tests. Hence, the Englishman scores over in terms of average as he has also taken fewer innings to surpass Tendulkar's tally. Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting leads the chart in home Tests, having tallied 7,578 runs in Australia.
Tons
23 tons in home Tests for Root
Root's tally of 23 Test tons in England is the joint-most for any batter in home Tests. Ponting in Australia, Jacques Kallis in South Africa, and Mahela Jayawardene in Sri Lanka also have 23 each. Meanwhile, Tendulkar tallied 22 hundreds in India. While Root has breached the 50-run mark 56 times in home Tests, Tendulkar owns 54 such scores in India. Only Ponting (61), Kallis (57), and Jayawardene (57) boast the most 50-plus scores on this list.
Information
Tendulkar has three double-hundreds in home Tests
Tendulkar touched the 200-run mark thrice in home Tests, with his highest score in India being 217 vs New Zealand in Ahmedabad, 1999. Root, as of now, has just a couple of double-hundreds in the UK. The 254 versus Pakistan in the 2016 Manchester remains his best score in England.
4th innings
Root owns most home Test runs in fourth innings
968 of Root's Test runs in England have come in the fourth innings at a fine average of 50.94 (100s: 2, 50s: 5). No other batter has more fourth-innings Test runs in a particular nation. Tendulkar is third on his run-scoring chart, having tallied 902 fourth-innings runs in India at 47.47 (100s: 2, 50s: 3). Hence, Root scores over in this department as well.
Career
Can Root go past Tendulkar?
Coming to his illustrious Test career, Root has raced to 13,438 runs in 158 matches at 51.09 (100s: 38, 50s: 66). He is still a long way from Tendulkar's record of 15,921 runs in 200 matches at 53.78 (100s: 51, 50s: 68). During the fourth Test in Manchester, Root went past the run tallies of Kallis, Rahul Dravid, and Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter in Tests. The game saw Root shatter many records during his 150-run stay.