Tuesday 13 December 2016 12:09, UK
Alastair Cook says Joe Root is his ready-made replacement as England captain.
England lost Cook's 58th match as skipper to India by an innings and 39 runs in Mumbai as the hosts took a 3-0 series lead with the final Test beginning on Friday in Chennai, live on Sky Sports 2.
Cook has suggested England look no further than Root to succeed him, insisting the respect the team has for the 25-year-old can help Root succeed in the role.
"I think Joe Root is ready to captain England," Cook said of his Test vice-captain, who is England's top-scorer in the India series with 397 runs in four Tests.
"You never know until you actually experience the whole everything that comes with the England captaincy. You are thrown in at the deep end and you kind of sink or swim. It is as simple as that.
"Nothing can prepare you for it. He is ready because he is a clued up guy, he has the respect of everyone in the changing room. He has not got much captaincy experience but that does not mean everything."
Cook said over the summer he had contemplated resigning as skipper on a number of occasions since taking over the Test captaincy from Andrew Strauss in 2012.
The left-hander has added to the speculation surrounding his future as England captain by admitting he will sit down with Strauss - England's director of cricket - after the Test series and map out the best way forward.
"Being captain of England is a huge honour and a huge privilege. You are at the forefront of the team and it comes onto your shoulders when you win or lose," he said.
"In the heat of the battle you make decisions. You go to bed at night and you have to live with making good or bad decisions.
"As a bloke to be asked to lead your country is a huge honour personally. I am very proud to do it and we will go to Chennai as a group of players, and it will be tough with momentum against us, but if we can just grab every opportunity then we have got a chance.
"I will sit down with Straussy in the new year like we have made the pact to do, to talk honestly and openly about stuff. My position would not have not changed if we had won this game or lost this game [in Mumbai].
"Yes of course you have questions [when losing]. Naturally you look at stuff. Clearly it is a hard place to tour, certainly with the balance of our squad in terms of where our strengths lie, the sub-continent is going to be a harder place to tour than somewhere like South Africa."
Watch India take on England in the fifth and final Test of the series from Chennai, live on Sky Sports 2 from 3.30am on Friday.
