Not Virat Kohli! Ricky Ponting backs THIS player to break Sachin Tendulkar's world record in Tests

Sachin Tendulkar dominated world cricket during his playing days from 1989-2013. During his illustrious 24-year-long career, he ended with 34,357 international runs (most-ever), with 15,921 coming in Tests (in 200 matches). To date, Master Blaster is the leading run-getter in Tests, by a country-mile, and also is the player with most Test matches under his belt (200). Recently, in an interaction, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting -- who ended with13,378 runs in Tests (second-most) --backed England's Joe Root to break Tendulkar's record of most runs in the purest format.

Pontingtold The ICC Review, "He (Root) could potentially do that. He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends on how many Test matches they play, but if they're playing 10 to 14 Test matches a year, and if you're scoring 800 to 1,000 runs a year, then that sort of says he's only three or four years off getting there. So that'll take him to 37 (years of age)."

The Aussie further opined, "If his hunger's still there, then there's every chance that he could do it. He is someone that, in the last couple of years, has gotten better and better."

Ponting has backed Root especially since the Englishman has overcome his inability to convert half-centuries into daddy hundreds.

He added, "There's always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he's certainly done that. It's been his conversion rates being the big thing. Four or five years ago, he was making a lot of 50s and struggling to go on and make hundreds and he's gone the other way recently. Almost every time he gets to 50 now, he goes on and makes a big hundred. So that's been the real turnaround for him."

While there are many other contenders as well, such as Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, etc., Smith and Kohli have not had the best run in recent times. While Williamson has had a better run, no team plays as many Tests as England. Thus, Root -- with 12,027 Test runs in 143games -- has a very strong chance to break Tendulkar's record (for most runs as well as most matches). He has a significant lead over Smith, Kohli and Williamson -- with the trio not even part of the 10k-run club. In addition,England play a lot more Tests than any team; giving anedge to the Englishman.