Former England captain Joe Root focuses on improving T20 skills

Former England captain Joe Root stated that he cannot rank Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam, and Steve Smith as they all have different styles and techniques that make them effective players. 

Root, who is currently playing in the International League T20, wants to improve his T20 skills despite being a regular in Tests and ODIs. 

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"I can't rank them; that's the beauty of cricket. It is not just one way to do it. You look at those four guys, they all play very differently, but it is very effective, and they all are wonderful players," he said.

"Virat has got a very different style and technique to Kane Williamson to Babar to Steve Smith. Steve Smith will play shots that other guys can't, and I think one of the beauty of it is for me as a professional that I look at those guys and I'll try to learn from them.

"I'll take things into my game into how they go and do it. And I think we are very lucky to be in an era where these guys are playing. To play against some wonderful attacks and to score the runs they do across the formats is a testament to how good they are," he maintained.

When asked about who he would pick among Mark Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mitchell Starc, and Trent Boult, Root said it was a difficult question to answer as they all have different attributes and skills that make them successful in different conditions.

"Again, it is such a difficult question to answer. They are all wonderful players who have different attributes and skills that make them what they are; in other conditions, you might choose a different one.

"I think that is one of the things that you have got stay on top as a player is, look at the opposition and how you can manage them best, how are you going to score runs against them and how are you going to keep out the certain threats they pose."

He emphasized the importance of staying on top as a player by analyzing the opposition and figuring out how to best score runs and defend against their threats.