Alastair Cook can surpass Sachin Tendulkar's world batting record: England coach Trevor Bayliss

New Delhi: England Test skipper Alastair Cook on Monday became the 12th player in Test history to score 10,000 runs. He achieved the feat while playing against visitors Sri Lanka in Durham.

It also made him the youngest batsman in the world ever to achieve the landmark.

Now, it seems that the expectations from the opener are at an all-time high. On Tuesday, England coach Trevor Bayliss said that Cook has it in him to surpass India great Sachin Tendulkar as Test cricket`s all-time leading run-scorer.

While talking about Tendulkar's 15,921 run-record, Bayliss said: "It will be about how long he (Cook) wants to keep doing it. But certainly there is time on his side, so there is no reason he couldn't if his heart is still in it and his will to do it is still there."

Former Sri Lanka coach Bayliss also hailed Cook for his quality batting. "He is right up there with any of the best international players. He has these powers of concentration.

“He is not the biggest stroke-player of all time - (but) he knows his game very well, he is very patient and he sticks to it. To be able to do that over the period of time he has played and score as many runs as he has is a fantastic effort," Bayliss was quoted as saying by PTI.

Legendary England cricketer Ian Botham also believes that Cook can break Tendulkar's record.

"I think he's (Cook) got a lot more runs to come yet... He's 31, he's got lots of time to go. In five years, he could be chasing Sachin. Who knows? He is fit enough, strong enough, and we know how mentally tough he is. He could play for five or six more years easily. It's down to him. It's how long he wants to play for,” Botham told Sky Sports.