Vaughan slams Lehmann's 'nonsense' claiming Joe Root is 'a rung below' Virat Kohli: 'Can easily surpass Sachin Tendulkar'

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has strongly criticized former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann for his statement regarding Joe Root and Virat Kohli. Vaughan dismissed Lehmann's verdict that Root is a level below Kohli as "nonsense". Lehmann had praised Kohli, placing him above Root, citing the latter's failure to score a Test century in Australia. Despite Root's impressive record of 35 Test centuries and nearing Sachin Tendulkar's record for most Test runs, he faces the challenge of breaking the so-called "Aussie hoodoo" in next year's Ashes. Lehmann's remarks failed to give Root the same stamp of approval as Kohli, who has scored seven Test hundreds in Australia.

"Joe Root is a great player, but is he an all-time great? He’s had four [three] goes in the Ashes, hasn't made a hundred. A rung below for that reason. They've made runs all over the world in difficult conditions against different oppositions. And that’s the only thing stopping Joe Root. I think he’s a great player, but is he in that upper echelon?" Lehmann had said.

.teamshift img { width: auto; } .shareBox { img { width: auto; } } .playerShiftBlock { display: flex; flex-direction: column; padding: 20px 0 10px; border-radius: 16px; background: #2d3291; } .titleSecholder { display: flex; margin: 0 16px 7px; justify-content: space-between; align-items: stretch; } .titleblock { display: flex; padding-left: 12px; border-left: 3px solid #00b1cd; color: #fff; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; } .playerBlockSec { height: 340px; display: flex; align-items: center; flex-wrap: nowrap; width: 100%; overflow-x: auto; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; gap: 8px; } .playerBlockSec::-webkit-scrollbar { display: none; } .playerBlock { width: 156px; display: flex; padding-top: 42px; } .playerBlock .bgBlock { border-radius: 8px; display: flex; height: 280px; flex-direction: column; } .playerBlock .bgBlock.rcb { background: linear-gradient(154deg, #e73b4a -47.71%, #5e6aee 113.65%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.lsg { background: linear-gradient(95deg, #5b6f9e -3.28%, #2b4366 58.29%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.dc { background: linear-gradient(137deg, #4873ff -42.82%, #ff6f68 92.94%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.gt { background: linear-gradient(133deg, #033f7a -14.77%, #ffe30f 109.41%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.csk { background: linear-gradient(118deg, #fee719 -32.08%, #f29834 51.52%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.mi { background: linear-gradient(324deg, #0279e5 32.22%, #fbfacb 104.85%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.kkr { background: linear-gradient(308deg, #3a1865 20.3%, #e284f0 116.46%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.pbks { background: linear-gradient(292deg, #fb5e5a 22.87%, #fef2cb 148.39%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.srh { background: linear-gradient(302deg, #ff3431 12.37%, #f26522 88.8%); } .playerBlock .bgBlock.rr { background: linear-gradient(289deg, #31336e 18.46%, #fb4f8c 128.5%); } .playerBlock:first-child { margin-left: 16px; } .playerBlock:last-child { margin-right: 16px; } .playerBlock .imgSec { margin: -42px 13px 0; width: 130px; height: 162px; } .playerBlock .imgSec img { width: 130px; height: 162px; border-radius: 18px; } .namePrice { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; margin-top: -32px; flex-direction: column; } .namePrice .name { color: #fff; font-family: Lato; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; } .namePrice .price { color: #fff; font-family: Lato; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 900; } .teamshift { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; margin: 8px 0; gap: 8px; } .teamshift span { text-transform: uppercase; border-radius: 4px; background: rgba(39, 38, 33, 0.5); padding: 2px 6px; color: #fff; font-family: Lato; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; } ul.playerStats { list-style-type: none; display: flex; width: 100%; gap: 0 10px; flex-wrap: wrap; padding: 0 0 0 8px; } ul.playerStats li { width: 53%; color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); font-family: Lato; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 150%; } ul.playerStats li:nth-child(even) { font-weight: 900; font-size: 14px; width: 40%; color: #fff; } /* share block css */ .shareBlock { display: flex; width: 20px; height: 20px; cursor: pointer; position: relative; } .shareBox { position: absolute; right: 0; top: 27px; border-radius: 4px; background: #fff; box-shadow: 0px 0px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16); display: flex; padding: 6px 9px; align-items: center; gap: 24px; z-index: 3; width: fit-content; height: 50px; display: none; } .shareBlock:hover .shareBox { display: flex; } .iplCopyLink, .shareVia { color: #999; text-align: center; font-family: Lato; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 150%; white-space: nowrap; position: relative; } .iplCopyLink::before { content: ' '; width: 1px; height: 40px; background-color: #d9d9d9; position: absolute; left: -12px; top: 5px; } .iplCopyLink img, .shareVia img { margin-top: 4px; } .socialIcons { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; } .shareVia .socialIcons a { margin-left: 12px; } .shareVia .socialIcons a:first-child { display: none; margin-left: 0; } @media (max-width: 767px) { .shareVia .socialIcons a:first-child { display: block; } } a.ctaFullCoverage { font-size: 16px; margin: auto; position: absolute; bottom: -22px; left: 0; right: 0; background: #00b1cd; width: 100%; max-width: 200px; color: white; padding: 12px 16px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; border-radius: 22px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0px 0px 16px 0px #00B1CD; text-decoration: none; } a.ctaFullCoverage span { position: relative; z-index: 2; margin-left: 24px; } a.ctaFullCoverage span::before { content: ''; position: absolute; left: auto; right: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; margin: auto; border: 1px solid #FFF; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-width: 2px 2px 0 0; z-index: 2; transform: rotate(45deg); } a.ctaFullCoverage span::after { content: ''; position: absolute; left: auto; right: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; margin: auto; height: 2px; width: 16px; background-color: #FFF; border-radius: 2px; } a.ctaFullCoverage::before { content: ''; position: absolute; top: -17px; left: 50px; width: 24px; height: 74px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4); transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage

But Vaughan reckons that's no ground to rate a batter below or higher than his peers, especially given that Root is just 3145 runs away from eclipsing the great Tendulkar. In the first Test against New Zealand, Root (1630 and counting) left Tendulkar (1625) behind to score the most runs by a batter in the fourth innings of Test matches. Vaughan has been a vocal admirer of Root's game, placing him on a pedestal higher than Kohli – he recently noted down Root and Kohli's Tests statistics to prove his point – hence, it wasn't surprising to see him take objection.

"What a load of nonsense," Vaughan said on SEN Mornings, firing a response to Lehmann's claims. "We're talking about a player that could quite easily – if he stays fit and that back stays strong – surpass Sachin Tendulkar in a few years.

Joe Root's Test record in Australia

Root has played 34 Ashes Tests, scoring 2428 runs at an average of 40.47, including four centuries. Still, when it comes to batting in Australia, those numbers plummet significantly – 892 runs from 14 matches at an average of 35.68. His highest score is an innings 89 at Brisbane in December 2021. Root has eight fifties in Test matches Down Under, but the former England captain has never been able to convert it into a hundred. Root, 33, still has time to change it next year when England travel to Australia to reclaim the urn. However, that alone cannot define the greatness of Root, reckons Vaughan.

"Just because he's not got a hundred here in Australia, this isn't the be-all and end-all. You'd like to come here, and score runs. But he'll come next year in the way that he's playing in this England side now at four – playing the Joe Root way rather than the Bazball way – I've got a sneaky feeling that might come back to haunt Darren next year," said Vaughan.

"He might get a couple of hundreds next year and the way that England are playing, particularly against this Kookaburra ball, I think it’s going to be a great contest."

While Root may currently be ahead of Kohli, the real test takes place next year when India tour England for a five-match series, marking the start of the fourth World Test Championship cycle.

Stay informed with the...