Root has the temperament to be England's next Test captain: Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has backed his contemporary Joe Root to become the next England skipper in all formats. There has been a huge anticipation about the fact that Root should replace Cook as the leader of the side. Kohli spoke about Root and his potential of being a leader in a press conference ahead of the 5th Test in Chennai.

“Root has the temperament to be England’s next Test captain,” India skipper Virat Kohli in the live conference which was live on facebook.

The question was suggesting the current trend among top Test playing nations where the captaincy is handed over to batting mainstays of the team. This trend as made experts perceive Root as a natural heir to Cook.

Steve Smith in Australia and Kane Williamson in New Zealand and Kohli, who himself was promoted as leader of Indian Test team, have the reputation of being the top performers with the bat for their respective teams.

“Joe looks like a guy who has the temperament to do it,” Kohli said on the eve of the fifth and final test against England.

“Of whatever I have seen of him as a player and the way he conducts himself on the field, I think he has been a great batsman for England and I think he’s equipped enough to handle that job.”

Kohli himself has flourished since taking over test captaincy but warned it was a highly demanding job.

“It depends on the individual, to be honest. Joe is an outstanding player. I’ve been very fond of his game and the way he plays and goes about things,” Kohli said of the 25-year-old.

“He’s very positive, always thinks of any situation as an opportunity. It’s pretty evident with the way he plays.

“I don’t know what captaincy would do to that. Captaincy is not just about handling 10 more guys on the field or having a squad and interacting with management. It comes with a whole package…”