I think for us building towards that WTC final would be a huge achievement - Root. © AFP

England captain Joe Root wants his side to be adaptable and "have an open mind" about what they might encounter during the two Test series against Sri Lanka which begins in Galle next Thursday (March 19).

Last time England visited Sri Lanka, they swept the Test series 3-0 in a dominant display, made all the more impressive given the spin friendly pitches on which all three matches were played. Root is conscious, however, that his team don't merely treat this tour as a simple re-run of the series 18 months ago. Things are different in a number of key ways.

"It is a different team that we've brought this time around," he said. "We're expecting the surfaces to be slightly different, and we're quite open-minded about what to expect. But ultimately it gives an opportunity for some of the other guys to show what they're capable of.

"I think last time we came at a different time of year for starters. It was a lot wetter. And I'm sure Mickey [Arthur] and everyone have put their own stamp on things, and are playing cricket very differently. There were very extreme conditions last time around as well, and I felt we found a very good way of exploiting that. It probably suited some of the guys that we had on tour, and the way they played their cricket.

"I think it's important to have an open mind coming in to this series. If we just went in and expected it to be exactly the same then we could find ourselves getting stuck, and I think it's really important that we play what's right in front of us, and make sure we respect the surface and the opposition. And I'm sure there are one or two guys that want to put their stamp on this team and take it forward."

England certainly took a step forward in South Africa earlier this year, the 3-1 series victory containing a number of positives, not least the emergence of Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope as bona fide Test batting prospects. Off-spinner Dom Bess also impressed and England's players seemed to understand the gameplan, more attritional with the bat and attacking with the ball, better than they had for the previous two years during which they seemed conflicted and uncertain about how to approach their Test cricket.

Root wants his team to continue that progress in Sri Lanka but this series also has a wider context. India's Test series defeat to New Zealand last month has given the World Test Championship a shot in the arm and England, currently fourth in the table, have a chance of making next year's final if they have a stellar 18 months. 120 points in Sri Lanka would certainly do their cause no harm. There is also a series in India at the end of the year and the Ashes next winter, tours which, rightly or wrongly, are England's major overseas focus.

"I think for us building towards that Test Championship final would be a huge achievement," Root said. "It's something that we're aiming for as a team, and obviously, we're also always judged on how well we do in The Ashes as well, so it's a long process in making sure that we're always trying to peak when we're going up against Australia and travelling over there.

"Long-term a big focus for us is trying to get some consistency and how we want to go about playing our cricket. Similarly with the guys that we're going to be selecting, it's a real opportunity for them to long-term take this team up the rankings, and hopefully play those big moments and big games that really matter."