5 takeaways from Joe Root's first captaincy stint

England's drubbing of South Africa in the recent Test series reflected their dominance at home and their overall team strength.

The home team found several match winners on their journey to a 3-1 series and it was also a special triumph for Joe Root, who captained England for the first time in Tests.

In his maiden captaincy assignment Root displayed hints of an efficient captain and was highly successful with his planning and execution of strategies.

Root's success as the leader of the team will rejuvenate England, who are going through a transition phase in their Test team. After this thumping Test series win, Root has effectively put to rest the question of Aliaster Cook's successor.

Here are the top five-takeaways from Root's first captaincy stint.

---

#5 Effect on batting

Captaincy is a double-edged sword. Batsmen like Ricky Ponting enjoyed the added responsibility and it helped them bring the best from themselves. Ponting wasn't just an inspiring leader, he was by a fair margin the best batsmen in the team and often led by example.

On the contrary, Hashim Amla found the burden of captaincy hampering his batting and he sacrificed this honour to focus on his strength.

Root is currently England's best Test batsman and the team management was eager to see how his batting fares when he has the extra burden on his shoulders. And fortunately for England, their captain passed the litmus test against South Africa.

Root began his captaincy career with a finely composed and elegant 190 in the first innings of Old Trafford Test and since then hasn't looked back. He scored four fifty-plus scores in eight innings and ended the series as the leading run scorer.

Thus, captaincy has benefitted Root the batsman and it has enabled him to perform with more vigour.

#4 Ability to come back

England came back strongly in the third Test

Great leaders are tested during adversity and not during good times. In cricket too, the skills of captain are best tested when his team is pushed to the corner and there is little hope left.

Imran Khan's heroic inspiration enabled Pakistan to lift the 1992 World Cup and it immortalized Imran as one the best ever captains in cricket.

After winning the first Test, England were torn apart by South Africa at Trent Bridge. The visitors gained strength due to the return of their captain, Faf du Plessis and thrashed England by 340 runs.

The home team's batting flaws were exposed and their bowlers were neutralized nonchalantly.

This was the test of Root's captaincy. And he recreated the magic.

In the Oval Test, riding on Ben Stokes's counter-attacking hundred and Toby Roland-Jones's dream debut bowling spell, the home captain led the redemption.

South Africa were pulverized first by Stokes's three consecutive sixes and then by Moeen Ali's three consecutive wickets.

In the decisive Test at Manchester, Root once again ensured the momentum stayed with his team and kept South Africa on the back-foot throughout the four days.

The commanding victories at Oval and Manchester are to be credited to England's massive team strength and also to their skipper's ability to bounce back from despair.

#3 Inspired bowling changes

Root showed faith in Roland-Jones who claimed four wickets in his debut bowling spell

In the third Test of the series, England posted 353 on the board and saw South African openers beginning their innings with caution. England's two best bowlers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad were operating with the new ball but even in aiding conditions failed to make an impact.

The home team had already lost the previous Test and Root knew this Test too would go the same path if he sits back and waits for the visitors to commit a mistake.

And hence, Root reacted. He replaced his most experienced bowler with a debutant. Anderson, who had at that time 477 Test wickets behind him, the most by any English bowler was taken out of the attack after only four overs to bring a debutant to bowl.

Ten overs later, South Africa had slipped to five down to 47, a situation from where they never recovered, not just in the Test but also in the series.

Toby Roland-Jones claimed four wickets in his first bowling spell in Tests. This success can also be owed to Root who trusted the debutant to bowl in a tight situation.

This was not the first instance in the series when the England skipper made an inspired bowling change to turn the tables. He was always quick on his feet and was bold enough to try out things when the situation was against him.

Use of bowling resources is a key element of captaincy and Root has shown that he is an able manager in this department.

#2 Suits England's attitude

Root understands the facets of modern game and hence is the perfect leader of this team

England cricket has changed immensely in the last three years. Their ODI team was revamped to include power-hitters and the roaring success of this strategy is evident in the massive runs they have scored and chased in the last couple of years.

In Tests too, the likes of Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali have injected aggression.The English team now believe in dominating the proceedings and are not afraid of taking their chances even if it means embracing massive risk.

Alastair Cook was too old a captain to lead this side as he was more passive in his approach. England required a more active captain to lead the team and to support this aggressive brand of cricket.

And in the Test series against South Africa, Root has demonstrated that he is the best man to lead this aggressive team. The English skipper was aggressive with his field placing and his batting too exhibited intent.

Root understands the conditions in which his all-rounders, Stokes and Ali can strive and he gives them the space to express themselves. Also, he supported Stuart Broad with his attacking bowling plans and allowed the bowler to bowl freely.

To ensure that England continue with this aggressive approach in the future as well, it is important that Root controls the reins of the team.

#1 A modern leader for the modern game

Root certainly is a master of creative field placings

At Chennai in 2016, Karun Nair was trashing England on his way to a historic triple century. Cook, England's then captain tried several options but failed to prevent Nair's carnage.

He then tried cramping Nair by barraging him with short-deliveries. He secured the square boundaries by placing men on the boundaries and in that process had to keep mid-on region vacant.

Nair, however, used the short-arm jab and the pull shot to place the ball in the mid-on region and still accumulated runs. Root, standing at one corner in the field asked Cook to move the fielder from mid-off to mid-on and keep mid-off.

He explained to his captain that playing a short-ball to mid-on is relatively easier than playing it to mid-off. Cook obliged and it halted Nair's pace of run-scoring.

This incident revealed Root's knowledge of the game and his thinking process. In the Test series against South Africa, he was creative with his fielding and was constantly thinking from the batsman's perspective. He kept the batsman guessing by adding one more man in the slips or by intentionally keeping a specific area in the field vacant.

Modern batsmen with their big bats and powerful arms can easily pierce the fielders and hence the bowling captain must be creative with their plans. And Root certainly is a master of creative field placings.