Inexperience won't affect new England captain Joe Root says ex-Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie

Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie believes new England Test skipper Joe Root's lack of experience will not affect him as he's ready for the captaincy.

The 26-year-old was recently named the new Test captain for the Three Lions after previous skipper Alastair Cook stepped down from the role.

There have been doubts, however, on whether Root can maintain his batting average with the added burden of captaincy. There are also concerns that his inexperience could affect him.

Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan believes Root is ready for the new role and another one to echo the same sentiment is Gillespie — the former county coach of the Yorkshireman.

"There's been a lot of talk (about) 'is he ready? He hasn't had much experience,'" Gillespie told cricket.com.au.

"He'll be fine, he's played 53 Test matches now. He's 26 years of age. I think it's the right time."

"He had the attributes where you said, 'yeah, he could captain England one day'. So it's not a surprise to me to see him leading England.

"Once he got into the England set-up, the respect he commanded as a player and even as a young player (was noticeable). I think Alastair Cook made the right decision to step aside and now its Joe's turn."

While previous England captains such as Vaughan have seen their batting averages drop after becoming skipper, players like Virat Kohli and Steven Smith have thrived after becoming Test captains.

Smith saw his batting average increase from 51.83 to 73.73 as a skipper while Kohli has seen his average go up to 67.22 from 41.13. New Zealand's Kane Williamson has also seen his batting average increase, albeit in just 10 Test matches. Gillespie believes Root can follow their example in what is an exciting time for cricket.

"It's an exciting time for cricket," he added. "We've got four young men at the top of the game leading their countries."

"It's an exciting time as a supporter of the game. I'm really looking forward to the Ashes next time in Australia at the end of this year. Two young captains leading their countries, I think it's going to be fantastic."