Don't see any reason why Joe Root wouldn't eclipse Sachin Tendulkar at some point: Chris Jordan [Exclusive]

Published - 03 Jan 2026, 13:03 IST | Updated - 03 Jan 2026, 13:04 IST

English bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan has shared his views on England's Bazball approach as well as on the possibility of Joe Root overtaking Sachin Tendulkar's Test tally, in an exclusive conversation with CricTracker. He

Jordan, a T20 specialist, has played 426 T20s for various franchises across the globe as of January 3. He has been an all-round contributor, be it with bat, ball or on the field. Jordan has played a plethora of franchise leagues so far, including the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Vitality Blast and Pakistan Super League, among others.

For the unversed, Jordan is the first English bowler to pick up a hattrick in international cricket. He also possesses the ability to contribute with quick runs down the order. Jordan has played eight Tests, 35 ODIs and 95 T20Is so far, and has secured 175 wickets in international cricket until now. The 37-year-old is also renowned to be a live wire on the field.

Q) England are 3-1 down in the Ashes. Do you feel that England’s Bazball philosophy has become a bane for them particularly in Test cricket?

No, I definitely don't think it's become a villain. I definitely think that if you follow the games closely and you look at it through a slightly different lens, it's very easy to look at it as, 'okay, it's 3-1 down'. But throughout all three of those games at different points, England dominated sessions and even found themselves ahead in some of those games. But obviously, that's definitely why you call it Test cricket, because it goes on for five days and you have to be switched on for five long days.

But I think the most important part is that at different points in every single game, England were able to put Australia under pressure. They just didn't quite capitalise on it. But what I did enjoy about the last Test, which I thought it was the best game, I enjoyed the fight that all the players showed, especially in the final innings.

And I feel like if it was a team that was definitely finished, I don't think you see that fight. And I think that by then, Stokesy [Ben Stokes] will take a lot of encouragement from that fight that you saw in the last game, especially. Stokesy asked for the better response from his teammates and his players. And I felt that he got that response.

Once the series is gone, there's still a lot to play for, because as you would have heard them speak about as well, there are so many travelling fans. There's personal pride. And I think in the Test Championship as well, every game is important. Every game counts.

Q) If we talk about Joe Root, do you think he will go past Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket?

Why not? I definitely think it's possible. Just knowing Joe personally - his mentality, his drive, his want to always get better, to keep evolving is what's kept him at this level for so long. He's been such a quality performer over a long period of time. Even coming into this Ashes, it was well documented.

He had never got 100 in Australia. He put that to bed within a couple of games, you know. So, when you see that kind of fight and determination in a player, it definitely stands him in good stead to have longevity. And as long as he has longevity, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't eclipse Sachin at some point.