- Joe Root Chooses Between Virat Kohli And Sachin Tendulkar In ‘This Or That’ Challenge

Originally posted on Cricfit | By Sarvang Bhola | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 1:14 PM ET

England’s Joe Root recently took part in a ‘This or That’ challenge featuring several legendary batters. He began by choosing Steve Smith over himself in the opening round, and then picked Ricky Ponting ahead of Smith in the next. In the following rounds, former South African great Jacques Kallis dominated, with Root selecting him over Ponting, Alastair Cook, Kumar Sangakkara, and Brian Lara.

However, in the penultimate round, Root chose Sachin Tendulkar ahead of Kallis. This set up a final face-off between two Indian icons — Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. After a brief moment of consideration, Root ultimately named Tendulkar as his pick to win the ‘This or That’ challenge.

You can watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by England’s Barmy Army (@englandsbarmyarmy)

Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in international cricket history, amassing 34,357 runs along with a record 100 centuries. Kohli is not far behind, currently placed third on the all-time run-scorers list with 27,599 runs and 82 centuries. Root, meanwhile, is steadily rising up the charts himself, having accumulated 21,737 runs to sit ninth on the all-time list.

“He Was Someone I Grew Up Admiring And Learning From” – Joe Root On Sachin Tendulkar

During the recent Test series against India, Joe Root spoke highly of Sachin Tendulkar. The 34-year-old surpassed several legendary batters during the Old Trafford Test to move into second place on the all-time Test run-scorers list, behind only Tendulkar. In an interview with BBC Sport (as quoted by India Today), Root said:

“He made his Test debut before I was born. To be playing on the same ground as him, to get the chance to play against him was incredibly cool. He was someone I grew up watching, admiring, and trying to learn from. To be on the same field, watching him go about things throughout that series-it was a memorable experience. I’ll never forget it.”

Currently, Joe Root is fewer than 2,500 runs away from matching Tendulkar’s tally in Tests, having made his debut for England in 2012. With 39 Test centuries to his name, he also ranks fourth on the all-time list for most hundreds, trailing only Tendulkar, Kallis, and Ponting.

This article first appeared on Cricfit and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: