Joe Root, England cricket team captain, said that his side can beat Australia to lift the elusive title. He further added that he would be foolish to not understand that this series will define him. The right-handed batter is set for the third Ashes tour and the second as captain. This will also be his first overseas tour as captain.

The Joe Root-led team, who are being regularly humbled in Australian conditions for the past 30 years, are chasing their first Ashes series win away from home in a decade.

“Absolutely it is, you look at how hard it has been for English captains and English teams over the years,” Root, who led a team that lost 0-4 in Australia’s last home Ashes series, said.

“It’s been something that doesn’t happen very often. Of course it will define my captaincy – I’m not naive enough to think that it won’t – but again, what a great opportunity.”

He will walk out at the Gabba on Wednesday as the top-ranked Test batter.

In a rare form, he has scored 1,455 runs in 12 matches at an average of 66.13 and is set to frog leap Alastair Cook as England’s most-capped captain in Sydney during the fourth Test.

However, he is yet to hit a ton in Australia and England.

When asked whether his team is ready to win big. “Yeah, it has to be, absolutely it does. You look at some of the players, some of the individuals, some of the performances guys have put in … the senior guys have done it time and time again,” Root said.

“The junior guys have shown glimpses of what they can do and their potential. What better stage to really grab a series and make an announcement on the international stage. I’m an Ashes player and I want to live in the history of this great rivalry.

“That carrot is there for everyone,” he added.