IND vs ENG 4th Test | ‘Just one more to go now’: Ricky Ponting backs Joe Root to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time Test runs record

Australia legend Ricky Ponting has thrown his weight behind Joe Root to eventually eclipse Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in Test history, calling the England batter’s recent feat “a magnificent moment in history.”Root dazzled at Old Trafford, scoring a sublime 150 against India in the fourth Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. With that innings, Root moved past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and finally Ponting himself to become the second-highest run-getter in Test history.Root now has 13,409 runs from 157 Tests, only behind Tendulkar’s iconic 15,921. The crowd at Old Trafford gave the 34-year-old a standing ovation as he went past Ponting’s tally of 13,378.Ponting, who was on-air for Sky Sports, was glowing in his praise: “Congratulations Joe Root. A magnificent moment in history. Second on the table. Just the one more to go now. About two-and-a-half-thousand runs behind, but the way his career’s gone over the last four or five years there’s absolutely no reason why he can’t be number one.”The former Australia skipper emphasised Root’s incredible form post-30, noting: “To score 25 Test hundreds after turning 30 says everything about his mental capacity. He still has that hunger and desire to improve. That doesn’t get easier with age, but Root makes it look effortless.”Ponting also highlighted how Root’s batting remains unaffected by personal milestones: “He’s not someone obsessed with stats or numbers. Like most of us, when you’re playing, it’s about winning matches. But when he eventually retires, he’ll look back and be immensely proud. The volume, the consistency — it’s remarkable.”