Root says being dropped from Sydney Test spurred him to be No.1 Test batsman

England middle-order batsman Joe Root has said that his being dropped from the England squad for the Sydney Test in 2013-14, spurred him to make a telling impact in the current Ashes series in England that enabled him to be declared the world's best Test batsman after the Trent Bridge Test.

The 24-year-old was quoted by Sport24, as saying that the Sydney Test dropping was always at the back of his mind and he decided that he did not want to be in that position again.

Root has scored 443 runs in four Tests of the current Ashes series, including two centuries and two fifties. He debuted against India in 2012, and has scored 2,716 runs in 31 matches so far at an average of 56.58.