India vs England 2016: Joe Root ready to be England captain, says Alastair Cook

After the drubbing received in the 4^th Test Match in Mumbai, Alastair Cook is a dejected individual. The normally assured speaker, Cook had no qualms in conceding that Joe Root is now ready to take the mantle forward and become England’s next captain. However, he was quick to mention that he will not make any hasty decisions and any such step would be taken after deliberations with Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket. Also, he would continue only according to the series-by-series basis as of now.

"I think Joe Root is ready to captain England. He is ready because he is a clued-up guy and he has the respect of everyone in the changing room,” Cook said after his side slipped to an innings and 36 runs defeat in the fourth match of the ongoing Test 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,” he added.

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Root who has been one of the more prolific of the English batsmen is currently the deputy of the Team, but the fact remains that he does not have any captaincy experience to bank on. He has been a captain in only 4 First-class games and this limited experience could be used by the management to delay his appointment. However, Cook believes that Root’s persona in the dressing room and the fact that he is scoring runs at the moment give enough assurances of his captaincy skills.

"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 added.

There have been questions surrounding Cook before the series started as the man himself conceded that it had become difficult to stay away from the family.

"My position hasn't changed whether we won this game or lost," said Cook, who clearly was not at ease with the abject surrender.

He even questioned the composition of the squad and the lack of self-belief in the group.

“You start having questions, of course, you do. Naturally, you look at stuff. Clearly, it's a hard place to come on tour with the balance of our squad," he added.

This statement clearly indicated that the captain was not happy with the quality of players at his disposal.

However, will the management take the bold step and appoint Root? There are many factors apart from his lack of captaincy experience which may prevent them from going ahead and doing it.

The very fact that he is the most consistent and prolific batsman in the squad across all three formats will make the selectors think as they would not want to overburden him with the additional weight of captaincy. England play two Test series at home- one against South Africa and one against West Indies, before the all-important Ashes series. This schedule puts the selectors in a tight spot because they do not want to jump the gun on one hand and not leave it too late of Cook is not cut out for the job after the West Indies series, as it will then leave Root in a quandary before the high-profile Ashes series.

Having said all this, Cook is still up for the job and there is no denying the tenacity and strong temperament of the man as he has time and again bounced back from ignominy.

"Being the 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.” Cook added.