Joe Root distances himself from England captaincy talk

Joe Root has distanced himself from becoming England captain at this stage of his career as he has hailed the performance of Alastair Cook in the role.

The 24-year-old has become one of the world's leading batsmen in Test cricket due to his exploits in the longest format of the game over the past year, and has been touted as a possible successor to Cook.

However, Root has insisted that he is only focused on his batting and feels that Cook is doing an excellent job as skipper of the Three Lions.

"Of course I'd like to [be captain] but I don't think about it at moment," Root told Sky Sports News. "Cooky (Alastair Cook) is a fantastic leader, role model, trainer and he works hard.

"Going forward he's a massive part of the dressing room and he's very important to the team."

The second Test of the three-match series between England and the West Indies begins later today in Grenada.