England captain Alastair Cook admits No.1 Test ranking would be too early for this side

England captain Alastair Cook only needs three wins to become England's most successful Test captain (in terms of wins) and has a chance of leading England to No.1 ranking in Tests but he admitted that he is "the most comfortable" that he has ever been as captain.

Speaking about the potential No.1 ranking that might come England's way if they beat Pakistan in the final Test and other results go their way, Cook said: "It would be a really good achievement by our guys. But I genuinely think it's come a little bit early for us a side. It would be a great achievement and one you can be very proud of when you finish playing cricket.

"But, as I keep saying, there's still questions that need to be answered. We're not at the level we were in 2012. Then everyone had played 30 or 40 Test matches at the very least.

"This is a more talented team. There are people who can turn a game in a session. The team in 2011-12 was a very consistent, hard-nosed team that was very hard to beat. We've got a way to go to that level, but as you saw with some of the brilliance of Ben Stokes, getting a hundred in a session - that kind of stuff is what's very exciting about this team."

Cook on his role

Speaking about his role, the southpaw said: "At the end of every series, I'll sit down with Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss and discuss the future of the side and where we want to go. We'll discuss whether I am still the right captain for this team or if it is time to move on after this series or after India. We always now talk about that for my sanity as well.

"At the moment I'm enjoying it. The dressing room seems to be in a good place. It's the most comfortable I've felt captaining a side.

"The last year or so I've really felt comfortable in the captaincy role and everything it brings with it on and off the field. I am really enjoying it and all those hard moments I've had - obviously they're not gone - but in one sense, it would seem wrong to give it up quite yet."

England's next assignment is a grueling Asian tour, where they will need both Cook and Joe Root to play well if they are to do well.

"We've some tough challenges ahead," Cook said. "We've these five days and then seven straight Tests in the sub-continent - 11 weeks away - so I think we're going to need some strong leadership. It's going to be a really tough tour for a lot of people. We've got to be on it as a group."