Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has said that Alastair Cook's captaincy of their squad would be defined by the outcome of this summer's Test series against India.
England, who has lost their past eight Tests, will start the five-match Test series at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.
According to the BBC, Vaughan is of the opinion that Cook, who captains England's Test and ODI teams, should remain in his role.
However, Vaughan said that the key is winning, as it would define Cook over the next five Test matches if he can beat India at home.
Cook, who is England's fifth-highest Test run-scorer, with 8,125 runs, and has made 25 centuries in 104 matches since his debut in India in 2006, is under scrutiny after Test innings without a century and also their recent defeat against Sri Lanka at Headingley, which was England's sixth in seven Test matches.
Vaughan said that he does not feel that it is the right time to change the England skipper, adding that Cook is the man and is certainly the one who can change the way the team is playing.
Vaughan, who captained England from 2003 to 2008, also dismissed criticism on cook by Australian spin legend Shane Warne, but acknowledged that Cook is under pressure.
The former skipper said that if one is the England captain, he is a punchbag, adding that one has got to take the punches for the team, and at the moment, Cook is taking a lot.
