Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that if Joe Root keeps his form and continues with the same level of motivation for another four years, he should be able to go past Sachin Tendulkar's record for Test runs. Notably, Root recently passed 12,000 runs during the Edgbaston Test against West Indies. The 32-year-old has so far compiled 12,027 runs from 143 Tests at an average of 50.11, with 32 centuries and 63 fifties. He is the seventh-highest run-scorer in Tests and will soon knock off Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara – 12,400 runs – and his former colleague Alastair Cook – 12,472 runs. Sachin Tendulkar tops the list with 15,921 runs from 200 Tests, while Ponting comes second with 13,378 runs from 168 Tests. Ponting told Sanjana Ganesan on the latest ICC Review when asked if Root could overtake Tendulkar's enormous tally of Test runs: "He could potentially do that, He is 33 years of age…(more than) 3000 runs behind. It depends 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 1000 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). If his hunger's still there, then there's every chance he could do it." Just last month, the 33-year-old scored his fourth hundred of the year. This describes the ability of Root to change those starts into big scores, which makes him stand apart from other batters. Ponting said that: "He is someone that in the last couple of years has got better and better. There's always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he's certainly done that." He further added 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. He is someone that in the last couple of years has got better and better. There's always talk around batters reaching their prime in their early 30s and he's certainly done that." Also Read | Who Claims the Trophy if the WTC Final Ends in a Draw?