Joe Root says England’s series win over India is his best as captain

Joe Root says England’s series victory over India is the best of his captaincy so far, and that his side need to use it as a springboard for further success.

England sealed the win in the fourth Test at the Ageas Bowl by 60 runs on Sunday to secure an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-Test series.

Since taking over the England captaincy, Root has also enjoyed series wins over South Africa and the West Indies, but when asked if the India win was the best yet, he said: “Yes, I think it probably has been.

“I feel like I’ve had quite a big input into what has been going on, felt in control of things – and I’ve got a real clear vision of how I see us improving long-term.

“We’ve got some guys who are very willing to buy into that, and are very realistic and understanding of where we currently are and where we could really get to.

“I hope it’s a big step in the right direction for us, and we can go from strength to strength. When you have that understanding across the board, and there’s no selfish people within a team, it makes it very easy.

“For us to be in that position and to have a group of players who play in that manner is a delight as a captain.”

Despite an impressive series win over the No 1-ranked Test side in the world, there are still concerns over the performances of some of England’s top-order batsmen.

Former captain Alastair Cook has struggled, recording a top score in the series so far of just 29, while Keaton Jennings and Root himself have also had problems with the bat.

However, Root says: “You’ve also got to be realistic about the conditions we’ve been playing in.

“I thought after being 80 for six on day one, to then go out and play in different but still difficult conditions in the second innings – and go about things how we did – was a start to a really significant improvement.”

(c) Sky News 2018: Joe Root says England’s series win over India is his best as captain