Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting congratulated England batter Joe Root for breaking his massive Test record on Day 3 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on Friday, July 25. The remarks came as Root went past Ponting (13,378) for the second-highest runs in Test cricket. The former England skipper needed one innings less (286) than the Aussie legend to reach the milestone. Root is now only behind legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, who amassed 15921 runs in 200 Tests.Root reached the landmark after he took a single off Anshul Kamboj in the second last over before tea break. Following the record, Ponting was quick to applaud the English batter for his exploits in the red-ball format. The 50-year-old said on-air (via Sky Sports):"Congratulations, Joe Root! Magnificent, second on the table. 120 not out. This crowd at the ground, this very watchful crowd at Old Trafford, all stand as one. Magnificent moment in history.”Watch the video below:During his 38th Test ton, Root also surpassed former India skipper Rahul Dravid (13,288) and ex-South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis (13,289) in the list for most runs in the longest format.Most runs in Test cricket15921 - Sachin Tendulkar13379* - Joe Root13378 - Ricky Ponting13289 - Jacques Kallis13288 - Rahul Dravid“He’d likely need 30 Test matches” – Former England captain backs Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar’s recordFormer England captain Michael Atherton recently backed Joe Root to go past Sachin Tendulkar for most runs in Tests. He claimed that the 34-year-old would require 30-odd games to achieve the massive milestone.The cricketer-turned-commentator told Sky Sports (via Indian Express):“Root averages about 85 runs a Test match, so he’d likely need 30 Test matches to get up to Sachin (Tendulkar to claim the Test record).”“You never know what lies ahead in terms of freak injuries, sport can be a cruel mistress, but given a fair wind, he should be up to Tendulkar in around two and a half years,” he added.Meanwhile, England were 433/4 at Tea break on Day 3, with Root (121 off 201) and skipper Ben Stokes (36 off 68) at the crease. The hosts have stretched their lead to 75 in their first innings.Follow the ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test live scores and updates here.