"For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do" - Joe Root on quitting Test captaincy
England's ace batter, Joe Root, has asserted that it was better for the team to step down from captaincy and has not looked back since. The right-handed batter suggested that he wasn't leading the team well despite doing his best.
Root stepped down as Test captain in April 2022, five years after he was thrust into the role. He resigned from the role as England's most successful Test captain, with 27 victories in 64 games. However, he gave up the role after England's continuous slump in the format.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the classy right-handed batter recalled that he had made the right decision and when he did, stating:
"If you can't even be yourself, then you aren't able to give what that role requires, lead in the right way or lead a group of players. For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do - to step back."
He added:
It needs someone to throw absolutely everything at it. As soon as I made that decision, it was quite clear that it was the right one, and I've not looked back."
While the Yorkshire batter was in imperious form in 2021, England's Test cricket kept going backwards. Under him, England lost a Test series in India, lost their first series at home in seven years, returned from Australia without the urn, and then lost another away series to the West Indies.
"I wasn't really present at home" - Joe Root on dealing with Test captaincy
The 31-year-old further conceded that he wasn't able to separate the captaincy pressure from his family responsibilities, affecting his personal life.
He added:
"We weren't performing. We weren't delivering what I thought we were capable of doing. And on a personal point of view, it had a massive impact on me away from cricket as well. I couldn't leave it in the car or at the ground. I wasn't really present at home and it wasn't fair on my family, the people I was closest to, and it wasn't fair on myself either."
Why I think Joe Root is the right person to carry on as Captain .. telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2022/0… @TelegraphSport #Ashes
With 10629 runs in 127 Tests, Root is England's highest run-getter in the format.