With each innings Joe Root plays, he gets closer to beating Sachin Tendulkar's record for most runs in Test cricket. With 15921 runs, Tendulkar sits atop the list, albeit not comfortably as Root's tally of 12404 runs promises to catch up to the Master Blaster. Root, the former England captain, is just 33, and considering the rate at which he is going, in the next four years or so, knocking off another 3517 runs shouldn't be a hard climb unless something drastic happens – like a career-threatening injury or a dip in form like Virat Kohli's.

Michael Vaughan has already tipped Root to go past Sachin by the time he retires, but another former England batter chose to remain tight-lipped on the debate. Ian Bell, one of their finest No. 3s of all time, decided not to touch upon the Root vs Tendulkar saga, asserting that the fact Joe is being talked about to go past the great Sachin speaks volumes of his incredible achievement.

"He's played incredibly well in the last 12 months. I don't think he's overthinking too much what's ahead. He's just sort of living in the moment as we are," Bell told PTI on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket.

Root has been an unstoppable run-machine of late. In the second Test against Sri Lanka a little ago, Root notched up twin centuries at Lord's, taking his Test hundred tally to 34. Only Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara and Rahul Dravid have more, but once again, given the rich vein of form he is in, Root's trajectory threatens the records of all the aforementioned greats.

Root has a challenging 10 Tests ahead – five against India at home and another five in Australia for the Ashes. These two series promise to shape his career in ways unimaginable, but irrespective of whether he reaches the pinnacle of Test cricket, Bell declares Root the greatest English Test batter of all time.

"To think that he can even get close to someone like Sachin, a real great of the game, someone that we've all admired growing up, as a hero to not just people and fans in India, but around the world. To think that Joe could get close is an amazing achievement on his behalf. He'll go down as England's greatest batsman. There's no doubt whether he does get to Sachin or not," he added.

History awaits India, England next year

Plenty of history will unfold next year when India travel to England for a gruelling Test series. England were the last team to beat India on their soil – in 2012; whereas India have not won a Test series in England since 2007. They came close the last time around when India had England on the mat with a 2-1 lead before the Manchester game was rescheduled due to Covid-19. Played next year at Edgbaston though, under Jasprit Bumrah, India lost and the series ended in a 2-2 draw. How the next series plays out will have a lot of bearing on both teams, reckons Bell.

"I'm sure they've got one eye on the next 12 months, which has five Test matches (against) India at home, which will be a huge challenge. India are probably the best team in the world at the moment, and then, Australia away. Those 10 Test matches on the road will be hugely important for that group of players and something they're gearing themselves up for," Bell pointed out.

"We were the last team to win in India, which was obviously (a) part of the journey to get to No 1 and we won in Australia. For this England side to get to No 1, there’s no doubt, ability and talent-wise, they have that."

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