Not seeking greatness deliberately but becoming ever so greatly a living embodiment of it! Not the one to fall into the trap of comparisons but always setting the benchmark high for what it takes to become an incomparable great of the game! Never choosing words or lip service even remotely to command a presence in the game and yet, becoming a commanding name in the game by sheer batting brilliance and the artistry of the willow; Joe Root has done this and more and repeatedly over the course of a long and fulfilling career.

He’s been a long time batting asset for England. He’s been an able former captain and more than that, a batter who is as adored as he is respected in the great game of cricket. A total gentleman and an absolute giant of the game stands ever so closer on the verge of matching what can perhaps be called the single-most greatest batting achievement in the modern game.

That of scoring the most number of international runs ever, a highly coveted record that stands at present with none other than the true great- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar with no fewer than 15,921 runs.

So what after all is the big deal about Joe Root at the moment?

Well, thanks to a sensational display of batting by an outstanding legend of our times as seen in the current Second Test match between hosts England and the visiting New Zealand side, the towering right hander struck a fluent 46 run knock that came off 57 deliveries.

England are currently nearing a team score of 250 runs after a great knock from Glenn Phillips strengthened New Zealand’s stand in the current contest with the side scoring a challenging 391 run score.

But thanks to his recent batting exploits, the classy and calm headed Yorkshireman, a true English legend has taken his overall international run tally to 13,998 runs.

He’s thus just 2 away from breaching 14,000 international runs- the second most ever by any batter, irrespective of the country of representation or the time period in which such humungous runs were scored.

And forget not- there’s another inning left in the Test and then more contests that are fast approaching.