Accepting the challenge on hand and keeping an open mind about it are some of the values skipper Joe Root wants his England team to exhibit in Sri Lanka during the all-important two-match Test series, beginning March 19 in Galle. 

Root talked up the significance of adjusting quickly to the difficult conditions and not arriving on tour with the hangover of the last trip when his men dominated the Lankans in a rare away 3-0 whitewash. 

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"It is a different team that we've brought this time around," Root told reporters. "We're expecting the surfaces to be slightly different, and we're quite open-minded about what to expect. But ultimately it gives an opportunity for some of the other guys to show what they're capable of."

"I think last time we came at a different time of year for starters. It was a lot wetter. And I'm sure Mickey [Arthur] and everyone have put their own stamp on things, and are playing cricket very differently."

"There were very extreme conditions last time around as well, and I felt we found a very good way of exploiting that. It probably suited some of the guys that we had on tour, and the way they played their cricket," the captain added. 

"I think it's important to have an open mind coming into this series. If we just went in and expected it to be exactly the same then we could find ourselves getting stuck, and I think it's really important that we play what's right in front of us, and make sure we respect the surface and the opposition. And I'm sure there are one or two guys that want to put their stamp on this team and take it forward."

England, having recently won 3-1 in South Africa, will be hoping to continue the same form and bag crucial points on offer in Galle and SSC towards the World Test Championship. 

Root's team is currently fourth in the nine-team standings with 146 points after five wins, three losses and a draw in the cycle thus far. 

The quest is to reach the marquee final at Lord's in June 2021. 

"I think for us building towards that Test Championship final would be a huge achievement," Root said. "It's something that we're aiming for as a team, and obviously, we're also always judged on how well we do in The Ashes as well, so it's a long process in making sure that we're always trying to peak when we're going up against Australia and travelling over there."

"Long-term a big focus for us is trying to get some consistency and how we want to go about playing our cricket. Similarly, with the guys that we're going to be selecting, it's a real opportunity for them to long-term take this team up the rankings, and hopefully, play those big moments and big games that really matter."

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)