Joe Root crosses 14000-run milestone in Test cricket: How far is England batter from Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record?

Joe Root became only the second batter in the history of the game to cross 14000 Test runs as the stand-in England captain continued his journey towards the great Sachin Tendulkar's tally of the most runs in the traditional format of the sport.

The right-hander touched the milestone on the fourth day of the second Test between England and New Zealand. Root finished the penultimate day at 75 not out but England were headed towards a defeat as they still needed 281 runs to win the match with only five wickets in hand.

Root's race towards Tendulkar

In the absence of regular skipper Ben Stokes, Root has been handed the reins of the team for the second Test but New Zealand did not him have it easy on his captaincy return.

The BlackCaps gave England a 463-run target to win and the hosts never looked in the game after they lost first three wickets for 40 runs. At the end of the day, England had reached 182-5 but the defeat seemed inevitable.

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In the middle of the gloom, there was also a massive cheerful moment for the English fans as Root made the record. He touched the 14000-run milestone with a single in the seventh over off the bowling of Matt Henry. His second run of the innings was his 14000th of his Test career.

At this point, he was still 1921 runs away from Tendulkar's all-time record of 15921 runs in Test cricket.

However, by the close of play, he had further shortened the deficit by 73 more runs. Root finished the day on 75, which means now he is 1848 runs behind. He can further close down the gap on the fifth day of the match.

Root vs Sachin Test stats