5 takeaways from Joe Root's first captaincy stint

#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.