'I'm just getting started: Joe Root sets sights on Sachin Tendulkar's Test world record following victory over Gavaskar and Cook in Pakistan vs England'

Root has now exceeded Cook's total of 12,472 runs by scoring 71 runs during England's first innings on Wednesday. As Day 3 drew to a close, it appeared that he was on track for another double century. However, Root isn't finished yet, not in this innings or in Test cricket overall. He isn't dwelling on surpassing Cook's all-time English record or even thinking about breaking Sachin Tendulkar's world record. Instead, he is focused on maintaining the impressive pace at which he is currently playing.

The 33-year-old moved to fifth place on the all-time list of test run-scorers, behind India's Sachin Tendulkar (15,921), Australia's Ricky Ponting (13,378), South Africa's Jacques Kallis (13,289) and India's Rahul Dravid (13,288). All four above Root are retired and within reach of a batter who said ahead of the tour to Pakistan that he had plenty left in the tank.

“The only reason it (Cook’s record) is on my mind is because people keep asking me about it, to be honest,” Root said. “I see myself playing test cricket for a lot longer. It’s not like I’m going to get to a certain mark or a number and say, ‘Right, I’m done now.’ I just want to keep enjoying the game, keep playing.”

Root's next big target is displacing Tendulkar — the “Little Master” — atop the all-time list and, injury permitting, he has a good chance of doing so.

Root, who is technically excellent and owns pretty much all the shots, overtook Cook’s record of 33 Test centuries by an England batter last month when he made hundreds in both innings against Sri Lanka at Lord's.

Root waved to his teammates soon after reaching the milestone before he raised his bat in acknowledgement. He shook hands with Stokes and bowling mentor James Anderson as he walked off the field at the lunch break, with a 35th test century — and a first in Pakistan — in his sights.

Root is playing in his 147th test and came into the Pakistan series averaging more than 50, whereas Cook made 161 test appearances and batted in 291 innings, averaging 45.35.

They are England’s third and fourth most-capped players, behind now-retired fast bowlers Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Root has more runs against India than any other opposition — 2,846 in 30 tests. Next is Australia, against whom he has 2,428 in 34 tests, while his best average is against Sri Lanka at 62.54.

Root was England captain from 2017-22. He averaged 52.80 before the captaincy, 46.45 during it, and he is back to his prior level since standing down.

The most prolific year of his test career was in 2021, when he scored 1,708 runs. He has passed 1,000 runs in a year five times.

He has settled at No. 4 in England's batting order and demonstrated during the recent summer tests against the West Indies and Sri Lanka that he has slightly reined in the bold and occasionally reckless approach he and his England teammates adopted early in the so-called “Bazball” era under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

Those risky ramp shots are mostly gone — though he still got himself out attempting one against the Sri Lankans at Lord's — and he is harder to dismiss for it.