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Virat Kohli, Steve Smith inspire England's newly appointed Test skipper Joe Root

New Delhi: In an expected move, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently appointed Joe Root as the skipper of the Test team. One of the modern greats, the stylish right-hander was the favourite to replace Alastair Cook as the leader of the team in five-day format.

Delighted after being given the new responsibility, Root said that other skippers like Virat Kohli and Steve Smith, who took their game to a different level as skipper, inspired him.

“You look at other guys who`ve taken similar roles like Virat and Steve Smith and they`ve gone on to bigger and better things and taken their game to the next level. I don`t see why I can`t look at it in the same light.

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“It`s a great opportunity to take that added responsibility and really motivate me to get better.

Root insisted he had no hesitation in accepting the captaincy when it was offered to him by ECB director Andrew Strauss.

“Every kid dreams of being England captain one day… I`m just really looking forward to getting my teeth into it and putting my mark on things.”

“I think it`s the biggest honour in the game, simple as that,” he said.

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Meanwhile Strauss, Cook`s predecessor as England captain, forecast an initial upsurge in the form of Root, a regular in all three international formats.

“When you get to the end of a captaincy career, you look at Alastair Cook and talk about him feeling a bit drained,” said Strauss.

“The opposite is also true. Early on in your captaincy career, it`s incredibly energising.

“You walk a bit taller, you are passionate about taking the team forward, and you want to contribute to winning games of cricket.

“We`ve seen with a lot of captains that it`s had a really positive effect on their game generally. There`s no reason why that wouldn`t happen to Joe for the next 18 months. And it`s 18 very important months for both him and the England team.”

(With AFP inputs)

Source: Zee News