England's Test captain Ben Stokes has reserved the highest respect for Joe Root while talking to Sky Sports following the team's series-clinching win over Sri Lanka at the Lord's.

Ben Stokes and Joe RootThe all-rounder termed Joe Root as England's greatest-ever batsman before adding that it will be tough to find another player like him for a very long time. 

Currently, Joe Root is the seventh-leading run-scorer in the longest format with 12,377 runs at a batting average of 50.93 including 5 double tons, 34 centuries and 64 fifties. On the other hand, Sachin Tendulkar leads the charts with 15,921 runs.

Ben Stokes who picked up a hamstring injury during The Hundred's competition reckons that the record for the most runs in Test cricket by a player is getting closer and it remains to be seen how Root will go about his work in his '30s. 

"He (Joe Root) is just awesome. He is England's greatest-ever batter and it is going to be hard to find another one like him for a very long time. Harry Brook maybe could do what he has done, but what Joe has achieved in the game is absolutely amazing and there is plenty more to come. That record of the most Test runs by a player is getting closer and closer," Stokes told Sky Sports.

Ben Stokes also went on to highlight Joe Root's 'unselfish' attitude as he prioritizes the team first rather than personal milestones. "The thing about Joe is he is so unselfish, he puts the team first in whatever decision-making there is throughout a Test match or even throughout a series. He is an amazing player. I don't think there is much more I can say about him, I have pretty much done all the superlatives with Joe in the 10 or 12 years I have played with him," Stokes added.