England captain Joe Root believes his deputy Ben Stokes will go about his business as skipper if required during the Test series against West Indies in July like Virat Kohli does for India. 

Root is expecting the birth of his second child in July, which could see him miss a game or two to remain with his wife Carrie and also ensure that the protocols put in place for the maintenance of the bio-secure bubble in which the three-match series will be played due to COVID-19 pandemic are maintained.

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"You know Virat (Kohli) goes out there and performs and expects everyone to go and do the same within the same team and I imagine that’s how Ben will go about his business," said Root in a chat show on Sony Ten’s ‘Pit Stop’.

Stokes recently said he is "the Scottie Pippen to Joe Root’s Michael Jordan", referring to the basketball legend’s Chicago Bulls team of the late 1990s. 

"I think Ben is better… Ben would make a better ‘Michael Jordan’ than me," said Root. "He (Stokes) has a great quality, leads from the front, just as Michael Jordan did you know."

"He’s already a big leader in the team as the vice-captain…There’s a huge amount of respect for him."

"He has obviously accomplished so much within the game and within Test cricket that he’s more than well enough equipped to do a really good job," he added. 

The series will mark the return of international cricket after a lengthy hiatus and will be played entirely in adherence to the new health safety rules imposed by the ICC, including ban on usage of saliva as a ball-applicator for traditional maintenance of shine. 

Root believes given that Test cricket is played in England with the red dukes, bowlers will have some respite. 

"I don’t think it would change a huge amount in England. It depends, obviously, in terms of the conditions when it’s a little bit more overcast, there’s not been much cricket played in the squares and the outfield should be very lush," he said. 

“Damage to the Duke ball doesn’t really take effect till about 50 overs or 40 overs if that’s the case. So it should swing consistently anyway."

"So I can’t see it playing as much of having as much of an impact, especially at the start of the summer." 

"I think, as the summer goes on and if we get some good weather the squares become a little bit more abrasive, than the reverse swing might be a natural part anyway," Root concluded. 

(Inputs from PTI)