Joe Root not focused on record chase after latest run landmark

Root overtook three greats of the game in one fell swoop with a magnificent 150 against India in the fourth Rothesay Test on Friday, leapfrogging Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid.

Only Tendulkar, with a mountainous 15,921 runs, is ahead of Root, who has closed to within 2,512 with Ponting among those insisting the Little Master might not be out of reach for the Yorkshireman.

While Root, who has amassed 21 centuries since turning 30 four years ago, is aware tongues will be wagging about whether he can catch Tendulkar, he is adamant it is not the be-all and end-all for him.

“I can’t avoid it – they’re everywhere,” Root told Sky Sports. “It is easy to get caught up in this stuff but at the end of the day, you’re playing against India in one of the biggest series there is.

“It’s not about you, it’s about winning the game and getting your team in a position where you can follow through on that. You’re not doing your job if you’re concentrating on yourself.

“When you look at the names there on that list, they are all people that, as a kid, growing up, that’s who I would try and be in the garden, on the street, on the driveway, at my local club.

“Even just to be mentioned in the (same) sentence as these guys is a bit of a pinch-yourself moment.”

Root’s form since the start of 2021 has been breathtaking, amassing 5,586 runs at an average of 56.42, and the 34-year-old admitted some introspection during Covid was a major reason behind his uptick.

“I actually went away during that period and asked can I get some footage off Sky and just look at modes of dismissal (to see) if there were any trends,” added Root, who on Friday was stumped for only the second time in his 286 Test innings.

“One thing that I’ve done within that period is actually try and look at the game slightly differently.

“At the start of my career, a lot of it was based on my technique. Whereas in this second phase of things, it’s been more about managing risk and thinking how can I eliminate as many modes of dismissal as possible with the highest output?

“It’s very easy to get caught up, get too emotional, either get too hard on yourself or feel too sorry for yourself. You’ve got to see it for what it is, be very honest about it, and then just try and put that into practice.”