Ollie Pope speaks about not getting surprised if Joe Root surpasses Sachin Tendulkar and become top run-scorer in Tests

“He loves playing for England in Test cricket more than anything so I’m sure if his body allows…he’ll obviously be driven to make it to number one but I think he just wants to keep playing for as long as he can.

“The excitement he still has to play Test cricket, he’s always got the biggest smile on his face. The hunger he has for it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he can chase him down,” said Pope, who scored 71 in day three to help England reach 544 for seven at stumps.

“He’s (Joe Root) not a big one for landmarks, but that’s a pretty cool one. Becoming second highest Test run-scorer is just incredible. I’m sure he knew what that number was but he’s not a guy who wants to shout about those things as well. Hopefully, we can get a win and if we put ourselves in that position, then he’ll enjoy that even more but it’s a pretty cool thing to have,” said Pope.