Joe Root will return to the England captaincy for the first time since Ben Stokes’ retirement when the hosts begin their three-Test series against Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday.The first Test carries added significance for Root, who will lead England at his home ground in Leeds with the opportunity to break Ricky Ponting’s record for the most Test runs scored at home.Root has accumulated 7,500 runs in 153 Test innings on home soil. He needs 79 more in the opening Test to move past Ponting, who finished with 7,578 runs from 154 innings across 92 Tests in Australia.A score of 79 or more would take Root to the top of the all-time home Test run-scoring charts, ahead of Ponting. Sachin Tendulkar is third on the list with 7,216 runs, followed by Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene with 7,167 and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis with 7,035.Most runs in home Tests:Ricky Ponting – 7,578 runs in 92 TestsJoe Root – 7,500 runs in 87 TestsSachin Tendulkar – 7,216 runs in 94 TestsMahela Jayawardene – 7,167 runs in 81 TestsJacques Kallis – 7,035 runs in 88 TestsThe Pakistan series will also mark the beginning of a new chapter for England. Root is stepping back into the captaincy following Stokes’ retirement, while Stephen Fleming takes over as Test head coach from Brendon McCullum.Root has played 11 Tests at Headingley and scored 763 runs. He has another major milestone within reach at the venue. With 135 runs in the first Test, he will overtake Geoff Boycott’s 897 runs and become England’s leading Test run-scorer at Headingley.The 35-year-old already holds the distinction of being England’s leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs. Across formats, Root has scored 11,834 international runs in England.He needs another 166 runs in Leeds to reach 12,000 international runs in a single country. Achieving that would make him the first Englishman and only the sixth player overall to reach the landmark.With several records within touching distance, Root’s return to the England captaincy could hardly have come at a more significant venue or against a more fitting backdrop.
