When it comes to longevity and consistency in Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar remains the gold standard. The Master Blaster played an unmatched 200 Test matches, and no Indian player has featured in more victories: 72 Test wins, a mark that puts him at 11th on the all-time list of players with the most Test victories.
But now, that position is under threat. With England’s win in the Lord’s Test, Joe Root has quietly climbed to 72 Test wins as well, matching Tendulkar’s tally while having played over 40 Tests fewer than the Indian icon.
The all-time list is currently led by Ricky Ponting, who tops the charts with 108 Test wins. Among the top 10 are six Australians, two South Africans, and two Englishmen, James Anderson, with 83 wins, and Stuart Broad, with 76.
Root is tied at 11th with Tendulkar, but a win in the upcoming Manchester Test would see him leapfrog Sachin and close in on the Top 10. He is already England’s most successful Test batter in terms of wins but will most likely finish top of that list among the English.
This stat also puts Root’s Test career into a new light, a career that, while often celebrated for runs and elegance, now carries a remarkable weight of team success. Root’s rise up the wins chart hasn’t come with loud celebration, but with steady, sustained excellence.
For comparison, Sachin’s 72 Test wins came over two decades of cricket. Root has arrived at the same number in significantly fewer games — a sign of England’s success during his era and his central role in it.
If England manage a win at Manchester, Root moves past one of the greatest to ever play the game. Quietly. Efficiently.
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