Joe Root believes Ashes will define his legacy as captain, keen to learn from India’s win in Australia

The Ashes is all set to begin on Wednesday (December 8) at the Gabba in Brisbane. England versus Australia is one of the biggest ever sporting rivalries. The Ashes is the ultimate test of character for both teams and undoubtedly the biggest stage of all, where players’ skills are tested the most. England skipper Joe Root, who is having a terrific year as a captain and batter for the team knows a thing or two about Ashes.

This will be Root’s fifth Ashes and third as captain. The 30-year-old does not have pleasant memories of the last Ashes Down Under, where England lost 4-1. He batter will look to rectify that record and also opined that the Ashes will define his captaincy.

“Of course it will define my captaincy, I’m not naïve enough to think it won’t,” said Root ahead of Wednesday’s first Test in Brisbane according to Sky Sports. “If you look how hard it’s been for English captains and English teams [to win in Australia] over the years, it has been something which doesn’t happen very often. But what a great opportunity. I’m very excited about it and can’t wait for the series to get going.”

England will kick off the Ashes Down Under in Brisbane, a ground where they last won a Test in 1986. The Gabba has been a fortress for Australia since 1988. However, India managed to breach the fortress by beating Australia at the same venue earlier in 2021. Root believes India’s recent Test series victory Down Under has given the team confidence to do well during the Ashes series.

“A lot of teams have struggled in the past to get results here. 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.”