The decision to restore Jonny Bairstow to the role of England’s wicketkeeper for the fifth Test on Friday at the Oval and beyond was made with a view to sharing the international workload with Jos Buttler and not, according to Joe Root, a sign of player power winning out.

Bairstow’s broken finger forced the switch of wicketkeepers in Southampton last week but it was clear that Root, the captain, and his head coach, Trevor Bayliss, were toying with the idea of making Buttler the man for all formats in the hope of unlocking Bairstow’s Test-batting potential.

Bairstow, who has worked hard at his wicketkeeping in the past three years, made little secret of his annoyance at this prospect and cut a frustrated figure during the 60-run victory over India, in which as a specialist batsman he made six and a golden duck.

Now fully fit, the 28-year-old is back with the gloves, something that will help him and Buttler, the one-day incumbent, hit new levels, according to Root. Asked if this reversion to Plan A was made in response to Bairstow’s obvious disquiet, compared to Buttler’s admission that he did not mind, Root replied: “No, definitely not. I made it very clear if Jonny is going to be the Test match wicketkeeper he is going to have to keep working really hard and that he might have been performing well for a long period of time but he’s going to have to keep doing that.

“Hopefully, even though it happened in an unfortunate circumstance, it is a great reminder of what it takes to be at the top of your game for a long period of time and hopefully he uses it as a driving force to keep improving – not just his keeping but his whole game.

“Long term, you look at scheduling of all international cricket across the formats, sharing that workload could be really key in terms of keeping everyone fresh. I think it’s a great way for those two guys to drive each other’s games forward as well. We’re very fortunate to have two quality keepers.

“Jonny has had the gloves for a long time and done exceptionally well. I think he deserves the opportunity to keep wicket in Test cricket. I also think Jos has done exactly the same in white-ball cricket. Why mess with something that has worked so well for so long?”

While the status quo has been restored behind the stumps and Buttler is back as a specialist batsman at No 7, Root has made his own move to No 4 permanent (something that helps Bairstow drop down a spot too). It means Moeen Ali stays at No 3 after moving there midway through the fourth Test and the left-hander can now make his case to remain there for the winter tour to Sri Lanka.

Root, who averaged only 28 from first drop this summer, said: “Four is definitely my preferred position, where I think I’ll get the best out of myself as a player and a captain. I’d never have known that if I’d never given myself the opportunity at No 3. I thought it was the right thing to do by the rest of the team. That’s obviously changed in my own mind, so now I almost feel we’re in a better position for having gone through that series.”