Joe Root emphasized the drastic changes within the England cricket team since the departure of Kevin Pietersen in 2014. Root, the only current England Test player who was part of the squad alongside Pietersen during the 2013-14 Ashes tour, expressed excitement over Pietersen joining the white-ball coaching staff as a mentor ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.

Root noted, "I'm fortunate enough to be in that position where I did play alongside him. A lot of the guys will have watched him and got into the game because of him. It will be great for those guys to have the opportunity to work alongside him."

Pietersen, celebrated for his unique batting style and innovative approach, remains one of England's top scorers with 13,779 international runs. His history with the team has been tumultuous, having been dropped in 2012 over controversies and later excluded permanently due to trust issues, as stated by Andrew Strauss in 2015.

Root acknowledged Pietersen's candid personality, saying, "When you get someone involved you want them to be themselves... I think he's going to be great."

As Root prepares to lead England against Pakistan in the upcoming Test, he highlighted the importance of full stadiums for the game’s growth, addressing concerns over rising ticket prices for the Ashes series next summer.

He also defended the contributions of former captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, asserting that their efforts laid the groundwork for England's recent successes. Root aims for a clean sweep in the series, with hopes of reversing England's trend of poor finishes in multi-match series.