Sachin Tendulkar recalls telling teammates Joe Root was 'future England captain' during Test debut

New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): India's legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar took a trip down memory lane and recalled the moment when he knew the talismanic Joe Root would become a significant player and England's future captain.

Root burst into the international Test on December 13, 2012, against India in Nagpur. Sachin, who was walking in the twilight phase of his era-defining career during that phase, witnessed Root's masterclass with the bat and was left gobsmacked.

With England reduced to 119/4 in the first innings, Root, with his textbook technique and robust footwork, became the Indian spinners' nightmare. During his first endeavour in the sub-continent, Root soaked up the pressure, faced 229 deliveries and hammered 73 runs to power the tourists to 330.

His priceless knock ensured the match ended as a draw and England stood triumphant on the Asian soil with a 2-1 Test series triumph. Since his debut, Root has grown from strength to strength and was crowned England's Test captain after Alastair Cook hung up his boots in 2017 and led the side till 2022.

"To have gone past 13,000 Test runs is a remarkable achievement, and he is still going strong. When I saw him for the first time in Nagpur in 2012 during his debut Test, I told my teammates that they were watching the future captain of England. What impressed me most was the way he was able to assess the wicket and how he rotated the strike. I knew at that very moment that he would be a big player," Sachin wrote during a Q&A session on Reddit.

During the recently concluded inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Root became the fastest to 13,000 Test runs and took a step closer to dethroning Sachin from the top of the run-getters list in the format. As of now, Root's tally stands at 13,543, just 2,378 runs away from levelling the former Indian stalwart's record of 15,921.

He will be keen on reducing the deficit during England's next Test assignment, which will be against their arch-nemesis Australia in the Ashes, which is scheduled to commence on November 21 in Perth. (ANI)

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