It is always revealing to see how players respond to adversity and Joe Root has reacted magnificently to being left out of last year ’ s Sydney Test . I can remember players left out when I played having a moan in the dressing room and spouting nonsense about how they did not fit in . What Root has done is have a look at himself , stay quiet and then produce hundred after hundred to ensure he will not be left out in a hurry again . Joe Root showed plenty of grit , as well as talent , in yet another big innings for England . Root has bounced back from a difficult Ashes Tour to prove himself as a quality Test batsman . Around four years ago I remember sitting next to Graham Thorpe on a bus journey and him quietly telling me that the young English batsman to watch out for was Joe Root . He was barely heard of then . How right Thorpe was , for what Root has done since Sydney speaks volumes about the character of the bloke . Do not be fooled by the boyish grin and cheeky demeanour . He is as steely as they come , a fierce competitor who loves playing for England . He tells himself every day that he must enjoy the game but that takes nothing away from the quality of his magnificent performances . His last five hundreds have been in excess of 149 , four of them have been unbeaten and in the way he batted with Jimmy Anderson yesterday he showed he has a very good cricket brain . And he hasn ’ t messed with his form either . It would be easy in his current run to chip up a catch on 40 or give it away as soon as he reaches a hundred , as Marlon Samuels did in the first innings here . I love the way Root goes big . Before his partner was foolishly run out , Root showed maturity to bat with the tail on Friday in Grenada . The young batsman has been superb in his middle-order role , and should not be moved up the batting card . Part of me sees Root as a natural No 3 , where England tried him in Australia . He looks like a batsman who could come in and regain the initiative if you lose an early wicket . But why move him when he is going so well at five ? Keep him there . Eventually he will captain England and five is a good place to captain from . The only problem in seeing him as a future England captain is that do we want to put our best player in charge when his runs are so important ? Look at Alastair Cook and just about every England captain in history . It wears them all down in the end and when the day eventually comes that England need a new leader they will have to think about that . His fabulous form should be enough to see Root left to do what he does best - score runs for England . Alastair Cook ( right ) has shown the danger of making your best player the captain of the team . I have enjoyed the battle between Ben Stokes and Samuels in this Test and I like the way the Durham lad goes about his cricket . The fact he gave Mitchell Johnson a send-off when he got him out in Australia speaks volumes for him and he ’ ll never take a backward step . I generally don ’ t like send-offs . Once a batsman is out you have done your job so why point to the dressing room or swear at someone ? But I enjoyed what Samuels did on the third evening . If you are going to do it , make it humorous and non-threatening like that salute . Stokes will have to take it . If you dish it out you have to take it back . Stokes shouldn ’ t go too far , though . I saw Peter Moores take him to one side for a chat before play yesterday and that might have been to say : ‘ Be careful . Don ’ t lose your passion but don ’ t do anything stupid . ’
Joe ##dale has been terrific to bounce back from a difficult time in cricket . Root 's 91 * in the first innings in 2007 showed he is a steely batsman . He looks a natural No 3 , but England should n't move him from current position . The captaincy always keeps players down , and it is n't his time yet . Ben ##sdale is right to be passionate , but needs to keep his cool as well .