"Already the greatest" - Ben Stokes believes Ashes result won't define Joe Root's legacy as captain

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has no doubts about Joe Root's status as the country's greatest Test captain. Over the past few weeks, Root has dramatically increased his stock as a skipper and batsman. The right-handed batsman is in the middle of a dream run in 2021, having scored 1398 Test runs in 11 matches at 69.90.

But while the likes of Michael Vaughan and Chris Silverwood have showered praise on Root the batsman, they believe an Ashes win will define him as a captain as well. After a 4-0 thrashing in the 2017-18 series, Root will lead England once again later this year in Australia. The Aussies currently hold the urn after retaining it two years ago in England under Root's watch.

But Ben Stokes asserts that his fellow teammate Joe Root doesn't need an Ashes victory to be claimed as England's greatest Test captain. Following statements by Vaughan and Silverwood, Sky Sports Cricket's official Twitter handle posted a question: "Does Joe Root need to win an Ashes series to be classed as one of England's 'great' Test captains?"

Stokes issued a candid response:

"Already is the greatest....most wins as a English Test Captain..end of"

Already is the greatest….most wins as a English Test Captain..end of https://t.co/U6BfYjXhjx

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) August 30, 2021

By beating India in the third Test in Leeds, Joe Root surpassed Vaughan for most wins as England Test captain. The Yorkshire batsman has 27 victories as skipper after his side's series-levelling effort.

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Joe Root miles ahead of other batsmen in the India series

England skipper Joe Root celebrates after scoring a century in the third Test against India

The England captain went past 500 runs in the series during the third Test against India and has indisputably been the best batsman from both sides. Root has scored centuries in all three Tests, with a best of 180 not out at Lord's. As a result, he averages 126.75 in the series with two more matches to play.

In the second Test, he passed Graham Gooch's tally of Test runs and the 9000-run mark. England would have been in deep waters in the series if not for Root's determination and defiance.

The fourth Test between India and England starts on the 2nd of September at the Oval.

Who's excited to see these players in the fourth Test against @BCCI? 🦁🦁🦁🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 29, 2021