"I’m afraid the England captaincy is not a popularity contest" - Nasser Hussain expects Joe Root to be ruthless going forward

Former England captain Nasser Hussain wants Joe Root to pick the right battles and be tough within his own team to demand answers. Root is a favorite among the English crowd and even among his team-mates, but heads into the third Test under a great deal of pressure.

Oof @root66 👐🔥 pic.twitter.com/Pa5iqIceAZ

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 23, 2021

The England skipper was lambasted for his tactics on the final day of the Lord's Test against India. Root deployed a rather defensive field to counter the budding partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami. The ploy backfired as the duo stitched together a record ninth-wicket stand and arguably batted England out of the game.

Nasser Hussain believes it is time for Joe Root to channel his emotions and be an "angry" captain. Writing for his column in The Daily Mail, Hussain explained:

"Joe is extremely popular within the dressing room and with England supporters — you only have to listen to all the chants of ‘Rooooooot’ to know that — but I’m afraid the England captaincy is not a popularity contest."

"The only thing I would say, not just about Root but also this England regime, is that it seems they do not quite know when to be ruthless and when is the right time for Joe to be an angry captain. The time to offer the stick rather than the carrot."

Joe Root was handed the captaincy in the longest format of the game in 2017 and has gone onto amass 25 Test wins as skipper. He has a chance to level Michael Vaughan's record of 26 wins in the upcoming Test against India at Headingley, Leeds.

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I’d like to see an angry Joe Root : Nasser Hussain

Hussain opined that the majority of the personnel in the England dressing room are "nice" people. He urged them to shed that persona a bit and ask hard questions in terms of the team's direction and form at the moment.

We've named our squad for the third LV= Insurance Test match.Welcome back @dmalan29 👋

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 18, 2021

Hussain also felt that Joe Root often picks the wrong battles. He wants Root to pick battles with the ECB regarding issues off the field and not ones on the field that could lead to his downfall. Hussain added:

"At times, Joe picks the wrong moment to go into battle. He got it wrong on that final morning at Lord’s when he picked a fight with Jasprit Bumrah. He would be better off picking a battle with his top three over their lack of runs, or the ECB over scheduling."

"And maybe he should be picking a battle with Ashley Giles and Silverwood about why he has had one arm tied behind his back and hasn’t had his best Test side at any stage in the last year. I’d like to see an angry Joe then."