Root says move to No.3 entirely his decision

The England skipper's move has been forced by a wafer-thin England top-order that has struggled to settle on a combination since the departure of Alastair Cook last year.

Root’s promotion would not only introduce some much-needed stability at the top for the hosts, but also bring in some experience. However, because of his stated preference for batting at No.4, there was the belief that circumstances – and team management – could have forced Root’s hand, which the skipper categorically denied.

"It was completely my decision," he said. "I came to the final decision in the Ireland match. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. It's an opportunity for me to get in there earlier to spread out the experience.

"I've always thought the best thing for the team is for me to score runs. And for a long time, my record at No.4 would suggest that would be the best thing. But, where we are as a team currently and where I'm at as a captain, I'm a good enough player to be able to make the same returns at No.3."

In an Ashes series where dealing with a fresh Dukes ball is likely to give top-order batsmen sleepless nights, Root said he saw this as an opportunity to assert himself as a captain who leads by example.

"There are a number of different ways you can lead,” he said. “This is just another opportunity to take my leadership forward and sort of show the rest of the group that it is something I'm more than prepared to do. I'm not expecting anyone to do something that I wouldn't."

Root racked up his highest Test score of 254 from the No.3 positon. However, since becoming captain, he has largely batted at No.4, featuring there 39 times in 51 innings. Besides, his average at one-down is 40.47 – nearly nine runs lower than his overall Test average of 49.03.

"Having captained this side for a while, I feel I can get my head around juggling leading on the field and batting," Root explained. "Hopefully, we'll see that in my batting and this can be a series where I stamp my authority in the role and make it my own. I'm excited to take on that challenge.

"We understand that, especially in England, it can be very difficult at the top of the order. It's how you react to that. Are we skilful and smart enough to make big scores? We have exploited bowler-friendly conditions over the past few years and found ways of winning matches in England. We have a good record here. It is set up nicely to be a juicy contest.”