Former England skipper Joe Root recently participated in a ‘This or That’ challenge involving several all-time great batters. Root, who is known as one of the greatest batters of modern-day cricket, picked the legend Sachin Tendulkar as the best batter among all-time great cricketers during the challenge.
The right-handed batter was last seen in action during the recent three-match ODI series against South Africa at home. He scored 175 runs in three matches at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of 94.59, including 100 in the final match. However, the Harry Brook-led team suffered a 1-2 loss against the Proteas.
Watch: Joe Root Ranks Steve Smith Above Himself in the “This or That” Challenge
Joe Root recently participated in a “This or That” challenge with the Barmy Army, where he was asked to choose between cricket’s all-time greats in a “winners stay on” format.
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Root picked Steve Smith over himself in the opening round. The former England skipper is a member of the “Fab Four” alongside Smith, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson. Root and Smith have each scored over 10,000 runs in the longer format, while Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025.
In the next round, Root chose former Australian captain Ricky Ponting over Smith. However, he stepped aside when the legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis’s name came up.
Joe Root Picks Sachin Tendulkar as the Winner of the “This or That” Challenge
In the following rounds of the challenge, Joe Root picked Jacques Kallis over legends like Alastair Cook, Kumar Sangakkara, and Brian Lara. Root opted for Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar over Kallis in the penultimate round.
The 34-year-old batter was asked to choose between Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in the final round. After a brief pause, Root named Tendulkar the winner of the “This or That” challenge.
Here is a video of the same (via England’s Barmy Army Instagram handle):
Tendulkar holds the record for the most runs in international cricket. He scored 34,357 runs and 100 centuries across formats. Virat Kohli is at third on the all-time run-scorers list with 27,599 runs and 82 centuries. Joe Root has scored 21,737 runs in all three formats.
Sachin Tendulkar Was Someone I Grew Up Watching, Admiring – Joe Root
During the recent Test series against India, Joe Root became the second-highest run-scorer in Test matches. In an interview with BBC Sport, Root said that he had admired Sachin Tendulkar since childhood and grew up learning from and looking up to him.
“He made his Test debut before I was born. To be playing on the same ground as him, to get the chance to play against him, was incredibly cool. He was someone I grew up watching, admiring, and trying to learn from,” Root said (via India Today).
Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket. He scored 15,921 runs across 200 matches. Root has scored 13,543 runs from 158 Tests, just 2,378 runs shy of Tendulkar’s record. He is expected to continue playing for a few more years and can surpass Tendulkar’s milestone.
