Former England captain Michael Vaughan has spoken out about the debate over who is the better batsman between Joe Root and Virat Kohli at the moment.
Michael Vaughan has claimed that if Joe Root overtakes Sachin Tendulkar in Test runs, it could be the best thing to happen to Test cricket.
Joe Root scored his 34th Test century during the second Test against Sri Lanka. He now has more centuries than Kane Williamson and Steve Smith (both with 32 centuries), as well as Virat Kohli (29), among the Fab 4. Root also surpassed Alastair Cook as the English player with the most centuries in a Test.
BCCI won’t want an English player – Michael Vaughan
On the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Michael Vaughan discussed the comparison between Virat Kohli and Joe Root. Vaughan suggested that the BCCI would prefer an Indian player to take the top spot.
“I’ll answer that question after The Ashes next year about Joe,” Adam Gilchrist said.
“Yes, that’s a good point. But even if it goes wrong, I still think he’ll still go on. In that sense, if Joe gets past Sachin, it could be the best thing that could happen to Test Match Cricket. Because there’s no way Jay Shah and the BCCI team would want an English player at the top of that list,” Michael Vaughan said.
“They will want an Indian at the top. So I think that will secure Test Match Cricket forever because it will take a long time until someone surpasses him,” he added.
“So, yeah, just on the stats, Joe Root is a better player. Joe doesn’t get the same attention, does he? I mean, Virat, I would say, in all formats, you could argue, he’s obviously a little bit ahead of Joe Root. But just in Test cricket, Joe Root’s numbers are better,” Michael Vaughan added.
Joe Root vs Virat Kohli Test Cricket Statistics
Joe Root is the leading run-scorer among active cricketers in Test cricket. The former England captain has scored 12,377 runs in 265 innings at an impressive average of 50.93.
He has hit 33 centuries and 64 half-centuries in the longest international format, with a best score of 254 runs.
The Yorkshire batsman has been in exceptional form in Test cricket since 2021. The right-handed batsman has scored 4,451 runs in 87 innings, including 16 centuries and 15 fifties.
The 33-year-old is a strong contender to surpass Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most runs (15,921).
On the other hand, Virat Kohli has amassed 8,848 Test runs in 191 innings at an average of 49.15, with the help of 29 centuries and 30 half-centuries.
It is noteworthy that his performance has dipped slightly since 2021. He has scored 1,530 runs in 44 innings, including two centuries and seven fifties.
In total, Virat Kohli has scored 26,942 runs in 533 matches across all formats, with 80 hundreds. Joe Root has amassed 19,546 runs in 347 matches, including 49 hundreds in international cricket.
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