Jason Gillespie: 'Joe Root ready to captain England'

Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie believes that Joe Root would be capable of skippering England now.

It has been suggested that the 24-year-old is next in line to replace Alastair Cook, who has come under pressure following his recent performances.

It has often been said that Root is not experienced enough to take on such responsibility, but Gillespie has rubbished that viewpoint.

"Joe Root is ready now [to captain England]. He may not get the opportunity for a while because I think Alastair Cook will do his thing for some time. But I've never understood why some people say Rooty needs to play more, needs more experience," he told The Guardian.

"Graeme Smith captained South Africa after eight Tests and it didn't do him a lot of harm. Rooty has played 22 Tests. Plus Michael Vaughan had played just 31 when he took the job.

"I wouldn't look into that too much, he's been around a bit now. I don't think it would be the burden people think it would be. If he gets the chance I think he will embrace it and do a good job."

Root has scored 1,732 Test runs for England at an average of 50.94.