England captain Joe Root has stated he is "not too concerned" about his recent batting performance, highlighting his extensive international career as evidence of his ability to overcome difficulties. Root, England's all-time leading Test run-scorer, has averaged 29.44 this summer, with only two scores exceeding 50.

This summer has seen Root dismissed leg before wicket (lbw) nine times in his last seven Tests, a statistic he acknowledges is a trend but one he believes is surmountable. "I've played this game a long time and I've always found ways of solving those problems and working it through," Root told BBC Sport. "I don't see this as being any different."

He referenced his career total of 14,208 Test runs, a mark surpassed only by Sachin Tendulkar in international cricket, as a reason for his confidence. "There's a reason why I've got 14,000 runs and a reason why I've played the best part of 15 years at this level," he added.

Root attributed some of his recent lbw dismissals to challenging conditions and umpire's decisions. "There are probably four umpires' calls within that, which could have gone the other way, and the ball is probably deviating more than it ever has," he said.

While acknowledging the frustration of the trend, Root remains focused on improvement. "You try and be realistic and understand where everything's at, but also be aware of what you need to do to keep improving and keep getting better. I'm pretty sure I'll get through the other side. I'm not too concerned about that."

The issue of lbw dismissals has become more pronounced for Root since the Boxing Day Test against Australia in December, where he was dismissed lbw to pace bowlers. Prior to that, in a period spanning from August 2022, he was lbw to seam bowlers only three times.

Former Australia opener David Warner had previously commented on Root's lbw vulnerabilities. However, Root suggested that his current challenges stem from specific types of bowlers and deliveries, often from right-arm pacers pitching outside off-stump and nipping back. Notably, his recent lbw dismissals have not been against high-pace bowlers, but rather those around 84mph.

"You're never given anything in this game," Root stated. "You have to work for everything. You have to keep working hard and I'll certainly keep doing that. You're constantly going to get challenged and you're constantly going to have to look to evolve and learn, but that's never been something I've shied away from and I certainly won't be doing moving forward."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed confidence in Root's ability to overcome this challenge, noting his past record of successfully navigating difficult periods in his career. "He's always overcome problems and I'm pretty sure he'll overcome this one," Vaughan said. "It is an issue because it's happening on a regular basis, but he's had issues in the past that he's managed to come back from. There's no question he'll be fine in time."