"I don't think Virat is going to get there" - Brad Hogg feels Virat Kohli won't be able to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's run tally in Tests
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg believes that Team India's Virat Kohli won't be able to surpass Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar's tally of runs in Test cricket. He suggested that Kohli has lost some steam in red-ball cricket in recent years.
With 15,921 runs from 200 Tests, Tendulkar is the leading run-getter in the format. Kohli currently has 8,848 runs to his name in 113 Tests. Hogg opined that the former India captain will have to return to his vintage best in India's ongoing Test season to be able to come close to Tendulkar's record.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:
"I don't think Virat is going to get there now. I just don't think Virat is going to get there. I think he's lost his momentum and the momentum that he's lost has been for a number of years now. He's got to turn around in the next 10 Test matches, or he's going to drop off."
India's Test season has kicked off with a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. Virat Kohli failed to fire with the bat in the recently concluded series opener in Chennai, registering scores of 6 and 17. He will next be in action in the second and final Test of the series, which begins on Friday, September 27, in Kanpur.
"Joe Root is on the move to beat Sachin Tendulkar" - Brad Hogg
Hogg feels that England's star batter Joe Root is the only player who has a realistic chance of overtaking Sachin Tendulkar and becoming the most prolific run-scorer in Test cricket.
In the aforementioned video, Brad Hogg pointed out that Root just needs around 4,000 runs to surpass Tendulkar. Stating that the English batter has a great chance of toppling the 'Master Blaster', the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
"So, Joe Root has 146 Test matches with 12,000 runs. Sachin Tendulkar made nearly 16,000 runs in 200 Test matches. That's 4,000 runs in 66 Tests. I think Joe Root can go close to toppling that.
"I think it's going to be something to watch. Watch out, Joe Root is on the move to beat Sachin Tendulkar. I think quietly he'll have that in the back of his mind to try and topple that little unique stat."
Joe Root has been in spectacular form in Test cricket this year. The right-handed batter has amassed 986 runs from 20 innings at an average of 54.77. He has hit four centuries and as many fifties in the format in 2024.