Ashes 2021-22 | Ashes will define my captaincy, states Joe Root

The Ashes series is scheduled to start from December 8, with the first Test is to be played at The Gabba, Brisbane. Pat Cummins will captain Australia for the first time, while Joe Root will lead the English side. He is England's most successful captain in terms of the number of wins, with the team having won 27 of the 56 Tests, with 21 defeats and eight draws. He is set to overtake Alastair Cook for most matches as England captain in the fourth Ashes Test.

Root has captained the side in 10 Ashes Tests, and has managed just two wins, which came in the 2-2 drawn series at home in 2019. On the previous tour, England had gone down by a 0-4 margin.

He feels that the upcoming series will define his captaincy, and looked it as a great opportunity to create history. 

"Absolutely it is, you look at how hard it has been for English captains and English teams over the years," Root said.

"It's been something that doesn't happen very often. Of course it will define my captaincy - I'm not naive enough to think that it won't - but again, what a great opportunity."

England have been bolstered by the return of Ben Stokes, who had taken a break from the game to focus on mental health. The pace duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad lend a lot of experience to the line-up. Root believes that his side is ready to win big moments and added that the players have shown time and again what they are capable of. 

"Yeah, it has to be, absolutely it does," Root said when asked if his side was ready to win the big moments. "You look at some of the players, some of the individuals, some of the performances guys have put in ... the senior guys have done it time and time again.

"The junior guys have shown glimpses of what they can do and their potential. What better stage to really grab a series and make an announcement on the international stage. I'm an Ashes player and I want to live in the history of this great rivalry. That carrot is there for everyone."

India had toured Australia in 2020-21 and had won the four-match Test series by a 2-1 margin, after having gone down 0-1 in the series. Root now sets his eyes to become the second captain after Andrew Strauss (2010-11) to lead the side to an Ashes win in Australia since 1986/87. Root admitted that it is tough for touring teams in Australia, and looks to draw inspiration from India’s performance from their last trip.

"A lot of teams have struggled in the past to get results here," he said. "So of course we'll take confidence from that. Credit to India - they played exceptionally well throughout that whole series. In many ways, they set a good example for any touring team to come here and play.”