Cricket
Joe Root started the Ashes 2025–26 with a duck in Perth, adding early pressure to his long-run chase.
Root has 13,543 Test runs and 39 centuries, keeping him second on the all-time Test run-scorers list.
Sachin Tendulkar leads world cricket with 15,921 Test runs and 51 centuries, a record untouched for years.
Root is still 2,378 runs and 12 centuries behind Sachin — a gap that needs steady scoring over the next few years.
A zero in the first Test means Root must make the most of every upcoming innings to stay in the race for the record.
He has the skill and consistency, but catching Sachin will require strong form, fitness, and big scores throughout this Ashes and beyond.
Cricket