'He’s not much of a captain' - Chappell slams Joe Root after England's flop show on Day 1 of Ashes 2021 opener

The Ashes 2021/22 edition finally kicked off on Wednesday (December 8) at The Gabba, Brisbane. Pat Cummins-led Australia made an emphatic start to the series as they bundled out Joe Root's England for a paltry 146 in the first innings on a rain-marred opening day after the visitors elected to bat first.

Mitchell Starc struck on the very first ball of the contest to get rid of English opener Rory Burns and the visitors never recovered from thereon. Newly-appointed Test captain Pat Cummins returned with 5 for 38 in 13.1 overs, dismissing Haseeb Hameed, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and the likes, as England folded for 146 in 50.1 overs. While rain break didn't lead to the Aussies coming out to bat, England have a huge task in hand to bounce back in the series opener. 

Former Aussie cricketer-turned-commentator Ian Chappell, thus, slammed Root after England's flop show on Day 1 of Ashes 2021/22.

ALSO READ | Starc adds his name to elite list with first-ball dismissal of Rory Burns in Ashes 2021 opener - Watch

Talking to SportsDay, Chappell said, "I think he’s (Root) a very good batsman but he’s not much of a captain. He doesn’t have a great imagination and I think that’s important in Australia."

On the other hand, he asserted, "Pat Cummins will be a good captain, I think it will take him a while to get into the job but I think by the end of the series, I think Pat will be miles in front of Joe (Root) as a captain and if that’s the case, Australia will win pretty comfortably," said Chappell. 

He added, "I think Stokes would be a good captain. Aggressive players don’t always make good captains but I think Stokes has a lot going for him. He has a great cricket brain, he’s a great batsman and bowler and don’t underestimate his fielding. I think he would be a good captain and Joe Root would do well to listen to him."

ALSO READ | Ashes 2021: Pat Cummins shines on captaincy debut, breaks plethora of records with five-fer vs England

Root took over as England's captain in mid-2017. While he has had good success as a leader in the purest format, his captaincy skills will be under the read throughout Ashes 2021/22 edition Down Under. During England's last Test series on Aussie soil, Root & Co. had lost 4-0, hence, the pressure is on the English skipper to turn the tides for his national side in this Aussie summer.