I think Joe Root is ready to captain England: Alastair Cook

Like most Test teams England is also under transition with only Alastair Cook, James Anderson and to an extent Stuart Broad the only three players still around who formed a formidable side a few years ago. With the 3-0 series defeat in India with a Test to go there are silent talks about the idea of shift in leadership. Joe Root who is the batting mainstay now and has matured into the role is backed to take over captaincy from Cook.

After the conclusion of the Mumbai Test Cook agreed that Root is ready to captain England. “I think Joe Root is ready to captain England,” he said. “He is ready because he is a clued-up guy and he has the respect of everyone in the changing room.

“You never know until you actually experience it and everything that comes with the England captaincy. You are thrown in at the deep end and you kind of sink or swim. Nothing can prepare you for it. He has not got much captaincy experience but that does not mean everything.”

Cook who has restricted himself to Test cricket now will have quite a break after the 5th Test against India until the English summer where they will host South Africa and West Indies which will lead them to the Ashes towards the end of 2017. He will have enough time to think, ask himself the question and if he is willing to continue reinvent his game and captaincy as well.

“The comments I made at start of series have not changed,” Cook said. “It sticks true to end of this series. I will sit down with Straussy at the end of the year like we have made the pact to do to talk honestly and openly about stuff. My position has not changed and wouldn’t have done had we won this game or lost this game.

“Of course you have questions. Naturally you look at stuff. Clearly it is a hard place to tour, certainly with the balance of our squad in terms of where our strengths lie, the sub-continent is going to be a harder place to tour than somewhere like South Africa.

“But being captain of England is a huge honour, a huge privilege. You are at the forefront of the team and it comes onto your shoulders when you win or lose. In the heat of the battle you make those decisions. You go to bed at night and you have to live with making good or bad decisions. As a bloke to be asked to lead your country is a huge honour personally.” He concluded.