Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik has offered his assessment of Virat Kohli and Joe Root’s chances of breaking two of Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic batting records.
While Kohli is chasing Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries, Root is closing in on Tendulkar’s mark for the most Test runs. Karthik believes the England batter has a strong opportunity to surpass the legendary Indian’s Test tally, while Kohli faces a considerably tougher challenge in reaching three figures for international hundreds.
“I really wish he does, but I think it is very hard,” Karthik said while discussing Kohli’s chances on Cricbuzz.
Kohli currently has 86 international centuries and needs 14 more to become only the second batter after Tendulkar to reach 100. However, the Indian star now plays only ODI cricket after retiring from Tests and T20Is, limiting the number of opportunities available to him.
Kohli recently achieved another major milestone by becoming only the second player after Tendulkar to score 15,000 runs in ODI cricket. He reached the landmark during India’s first ODI against the West Indies, scoring an unbeaten 139.
Root, meanwhile, is pursuing Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 Test runs. The England batter has accumulated 14,278 runs in 169 Tests and needs another 1,643 runs to move past Tendulkar at the top of the all-time Test run-scoring list.
Karthik is optimistic about Root’s prospects, pointing to the amount of Test cricket England still has ahead and the 35-year-old’s continued consistency.
“Good chance. They play a lot of Test cricket. He still looks quite fit. He is happily scoring runs every time he goes out to bat. So, I think it looks very possible for him,” Karthik said.
The comparison highlights the different challenges facing the two modern batting greats. Kohli has the opportunity to chase Tendulkar’s century record primarily through ODI cricket, while Root has a substantial number of Test matches ahead in which to close the gap on Tendulkar’s career run tally.
Both players have already established themselves among the leading batters of their generation. Whether either can ultimately surpass Tendulkar’s remarkable records will depend on longevity, consistency and the opportunities they have in the remaining years of their careers.
