Joe Root wants Ben Stokes to follow Virat Kohli's aggressive approach while captaining England Test side

There is a new tricky situation in front of the England team which will play three Test matches against West Indies at home next month. The team might have to play the first Test without their captain Joe Root. The Yorkshire batsman is likely to miss out on at least the first Test. This will be a great loss for the England team, not only on captaincy front but also on the batting front.

In Root’s place, we might see Ben Stokes captaining the side. Being the vice-captain of the Test side, he will take charge in the first Test if Root misses out. Root’s wife is about to give birth to their second child. The captain has decided to be with his wife during this crucial period. He has also backed Stokes to lead the side from the front.

There’s a huge amount of respect for him: Joe Root on Ben Stokes

In a recent interview, Root talked about the way Indian captain Virat Kohli leads his side and said that he expects Stokes to adopt those tactics as the captain. The captain even praised his deputy and said he could be better than him when it comes to leading the side.

“You know Virat (Kohli) goes out there and performs and expects everyone to go and do the same within the same team and I imagine that’s how Ben will go about his business,” the premier English batsman said in a chat show on Sony Ten’s ‘Pit Stop’. “I think Ben is better… Ben would make a better ‘Michael Jordan’ than me. He (Stokes) has a great quality, leads from the front, just as Michael Jordan did you know,” Root quipped.

Reflecting upon the responsibilities already shouldered by the premier all-rounder, Root said that he has a huge amount of respect for him.

“He’s already a big leader in the team as the vice-captain…There’s a huge amount of respect for him. He has obviously accomplished so much within the game and within Test cricket that he’s more than well enough equipped to do a really good job,” Root said.

Under Joe Root, England has done quite well in patches. While the team has done well against India and South Africa, they lost their plot against Australia in last year’s home Ashes along with a series loss in West Indies. The Caribbean team will play England in the first Test at Southampton on July 8.