'I'll be quite instinctive as a leader. I want our team to be tough'
Thursday 16 February 2017 13:53, UK
Joe Root says he hopes to be an "instinctive" captain, and wants to lead a "tough" England team to the next level.
Root, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain - in an interview you can listen to in full now, or watch on Sky Sports 1 at 6.45pm, on Thursday - said the decision to accept the England Test captaincy was a 'no-brainer'.
While he hailed the job, Alastair Cook - who he replaces as skipper - did over the last five years, Root hopes he can drive the team forward even further.
"I'm extremely proud and privileged to get the opportunity to lead this group of players," he said. "It was a no-brainer that I was always going to say yes to the job and I am now just really looking forward to all the challenges that lie ahead.
"I like to think I'll be quite instinctive as a leader. I want our team to be tough, and always be looking to win.
"I want us to be an enjoyable side to watch. You see the way that the one-day side has lifted over the last year or so - the way the guys have gone about playing their cricket - that's something I want to bring to the Test arena as well.
"We've done some very special things as a Test team over the last five years or so, and Cooky has been a fantastic leader, but I think with the group of players we've got now, it's a great opportunity to take the team to the next level.
"Cooky sent me a lovely message when he found out I was going to take on the role. I'm really looking forward to working with him - he's still going to play a massive part of our team moving forward."
Root operated as Cook's vice-captain for the last two years of his reign, while his second-in-command will be the "fiery" Ben Stokes.
"He is very passionate," Root said on Stokes. "You can see that already in what he has said about being given the role. He is desperate to show how much it means for him to play for England.
"When we bat together, we generally complement each other pretty well in the way we go about things, and I think that will be very similar in the way we lead this team.
"He is obviously very fiery, and can be quite in your face, but I think that will work well alongside me."
As for concerns about the captaincy affecting his form with the bat, Root is hoping to use it as a challenge to kick on to even greater run-scoring success.
"The way I approach my batting in practice, my preparation, won't change," added Root. "It's important I go about things in exactly the same way.
"I actually see it as an opportunity to take my game to the next level. We've seen guys in the sport, like Steve Smith and Virat Kohli, who have actually benefited from the captaincy.
"That's a great driver and motivator for me to take that added responsibility and take my game forward. Hopefully I can go on and do that."
"There will be tough times that lie ahead, but it just means even more so to make the most of the good periods.
"I'm not daunted by the job. I'm excited by the new opportunities it brings."
Listen to Joe Root's interview with Nasser Hussain in full now, or watch on Sky Sports 1 at 6.45pm, on Thursday.
