England talisman Joe Root has been backed to break Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record of scoring the most runs in Test cricket. On Sunday, Root became the second England cricketer after Alastair Cook to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs in the longest format and former Australia captain Mark Taylor reckons that he could replace the legendary Indian as the top run-scorer in the whites.

With his majestic innings of 115 not out in the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand at Lord's, Joe Root became the second-youngest batter to the milestone. The Sheffield-born cricketer achieved the feat at precisely the same age as his former England captain Cook – 31 years, 157 days.

Joe Root now has 10,015 runs to his name and is 5,906 short of Sachin Tendulkar's mark of 15,921 in Test cricket.

“Root has minimum five years left in him, so I think Tendulkar's record is very achievable,” Mark Taylor told Sky Sports.

“Root is batting as well as I have ever seen him bat over the last 18 months to two years. He is in the prime of his career, so there is 15,000 runs-plus for him if he stays healthy,” he added.

On the other hand, Former Australian women's player Mel Jones believes that even accomplishing 17,000 runs in Tests isn't out of reach for Joe Root because he is no longer the captain of the England cricket team.

As per Mel Jones, Joe Root could finish his career with “maybe 16 or 17,000” as he has now been relieved of the burden of captaincy and can now focus on his batting.

Joe Root stepped down from England's captaincy earlier in the year after their disastrous tour of the West Indies, where the Three Lions lost the Test series 1-0.

England's loss in the West Indies extended their miserable run in Test cricket, having lost four consecutive series' against different teams. While they were beaten badly in India, New Zealand defeated them at home, and a 4-0 loss to Australia in the Ashes followed.

Before their victory over the Kiwis at Lord's on Sunday, England had won just one Test match in their previous 17 Tests since February 2021.

Despite England's poor run of results, Joe Root continued to pile on the runs. He has now made 2,192 runs in his last 21 Test matches, including nine centuries at an incredible average of 56.20.

Another ex-England captain and Sky Sports pundit Nasser Hussain called him a “world-class player.”

“He has always looked a world-class player. His technique is pretty much what it was, he has straight rhythm and fluency to his game. There is a whole heap of runs left in him,” Hussain added.

“[Getting to 10,000 Test runs] is a special day and one he thoroughly deserves after everything he has been through the last couple of years as England captain – Covid, bubble life, and losing Test matches,” Nasser Hussain said praising Joe Root's consistency.

“He must have felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Everything to do with English cricket was knocking at his door,” Hussain concluded.

A host of other former players also applauded him for his historic achievement.

“A remarkable achievement from a remarkable player. To achieve such a huge milestone in such short time and young age is truly astonishing. Welcome to the club, champ,” Pakistan icon Younus Khan said on Twitter.

“No better feeling than a match-winning 100 in a pressure run chase. Many congratulations to Joe Root on an incredible 100 and on reaching 10000 Test runs, massive achievement,” India great VVS Laxman wrote in appreciation at the England batter's feat on the micro-blogging platform.

Meanwhile, Root downplayed his achievement and said that he would now focus his energies on winning more Test matches for England under the leadership of newly-appointed captain Ben Stokes.

“For us to have won this Test match after such a long time is the greatest feeling of all of it. It has been a tough road but hopefully we can use this as a step forward as a group,” Root said after England’s five-wicket win at the home of cricket.

“You look at the amount of times Ben has won us games under my captaincy and it is a great opportunity for me to give back to him in that respect. It's a great motivator. I will never be Ben Stokes, never be able to do the things he has done, but I will try to do it my own way,” Root explained.

“I love batting and I want to keep trying to bat for as long as I can, score as many runs as I can, help us win as many Test matches as I can. As long as I have the energy and drive, I will keep doing it,” he asserted.