‘He’s lost his momentum’ – Brad Hogg says Virat Kohli is no longer the batter he was, backs Joe Root to break Tendulkar’s record

Former Australian left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg has made a huge statement on Virat Kohli’s Test form. After the twin failures in the Chennai Test Kohli, the former Aussie spinner said that Kohli would not break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most Test runs. 

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said, “I don't think Virat Kohli is going to get there now. I just don't think Virat is going to get there. I think he's lost his momentum, and the momentum that he's lost has been for several years now. He's got to turn around in the next 10 Test matches, or he's going to drop off.”

The former Indian skipper played just two Test matches in 2024. Since November 2019, the former Indian skipper has scored just two centuries. Both came in 2023 against Australia at home and West Indies away from home. 

Brad Hogg backs Joe Root to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record

The former Aussie star backed England star batter Joe Root to become the leading run-scorer in Test cricket. Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 15,921 runs from 200 games. Joe Root on the other hand needs 3598 runs to over the record. 

Speaking about this record, Brad Hogg said, “So, Joe Root has 146 Test matches with 12,000 runs. Sachin Tendulkar made nearly 16,000 runs in 200 Test matches. That's 4,000 runs in 66 Tests. I think Joe Root can go close to toppling that.”

Brad Hogg also said, “I think it's going to be something to watch. Joe Root is on the move to beat Sachin Tendulkar. I think quietly he'll have that in the back of his mind to try and topple that little unique stat.”

Ian Bell on the other hand feels that Root doesn’t have Tendulkar’s record in mind. The former England batter spoke to the media during the ongoing Legends League Cricket 2024 tournament. 

“He’s played incredibly well in the last 12 months. I don’t think he’s overthinking too much what’s ahead. He’s just sort of living in the moment as we are. To think that he can even get close to someone like Sachin, a real great of the game, someone that we've all admired growing up, as a hero to not just people and fans in India, but around the world. To think that Joe could get close is an amazing achievement on his behalf. He'll go down as England's greatest batsman. There's no doubt whether he does get to Sachin or not," said Ian Bell.