Joe Root, the most prolific England Test batter, says "that ship has sailed" as far as his days of leading England are concerned, ruling out any possibility of him captaining the side again in red-ball or white-ball cricket, while he focuses on the challenge of facing India in a five-Test series at home this summer.
Root, who overtook Alastair Cook to become England's leading Test run-scorer in the previous year, is preparing for the upcoming challenge after delivering strong performances in the recent Champions Trophy.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
"We are good in our own conditions, but with India coming over for a five-match series there's no hiding place. It's a long old slog, you've got to be consistent. You've got to put in those match-winning performances time and time again," the former England skipper told Sky Sports.
Joe Root, aged 34, captained England's Test cricket team from 2017 to 2022, achieving an unprecedented 27 wins in 64 matches as the nation's most successful Test captain.
A challenging stretch in 2021 saw the team secure only one victory in 17 matches, including a disappointing Ashes series in Australia, prompting Root to relinquish his captaincy position.
Nevertheless, he remains the team's premier batsman, demonstrated by his stellar performance in the recent Champions Trophy, where he accumulated 225 runs across three innings, including a hundred, finishing as the fourth-highest scorer.
Despite Root's impressive batting display, England performed poorly in the prestigious eight-team tournament, which concluded with India emerging victorious.
"The Champions Trophy was disappointing. We didn't play anywhere near what we're capable of but there's so much talent and so much more to come from that team," Root said.
"I think it's a really good opportunity to reset and to move forward again as a group and get back to the heights that we know we're capable of and where we were in and around that 2015 to 2019 phase (winning the World Cup in 2019)," he added.
Root dismissed the possibility of captaining England's limited-overs teams after Jos Buttler stepped down from the role following the team's underwhelming performance in the Champions Trophy. The veteran cricketer made his stance clear regarding the leadership position in white-ball formats.
"I think that ship has sailed. I've done my time as a captain in England but I'm sure whoever gets the opportunity to do it will be extremely proud and do a brilliant job," Root said.
Instead he would like to focus on the India series and the Ashes later this year.
"These are the years you play for. Two of the biggest teams, two of the biggest series you can play in as an England player. It's something the team is relishing," Root said.
"I do think this team's building -- covering a lot of bases and giving ourselves a lot of options to be successful in different conditions.
"I think we're capable of (winning The Ashes). I think we've got to look after things leading up to that. We've got to play some really strong cricket at home," he added.
Root said he is gearing up for the challenges ahead.
"I think as soon as you lose that (motivation), I think it's time to call it a day. You're constantly looking to evolve, you never want to stand still, you never want to be that guy that's happy with where they are at."
