India, June 17 -- Joe Root will step in as the captain for England's second Test against New Zealand after Ben Stokes was left out of the squad following his nightclub incident, also involving Gus Atkinson. Both Stokes and Atkinson were penalised for breaking team curfew. An investigation is also underway after Atkinson was almost punched by a rugby academy player. So safe to say, the build-up for the Oval Test has been far from ideal and on the eve of the game, Root was grilled by the media, and he was made to answer all the difficult questions.

Speaking of the team curfew, the restrictions were imposed on the England team after the debacle in the Ashes, where some England players were found indulging in binge drinking sessions and also...