Alastair Cook heralded his side’s performance in the drawn first Test with India as proof that they can compete with the world’s No1 side this winter and defended the timing of his fifth-day declaration by stating that he did not want to give the hosts “a sniff”.
After the captain set a target of 310 to win in a minimum 49 overs, following the 30th Test century of his career, India were left hanging on by the close with six wickets down for 172. On the back of being bowled out in a session by Bangladesh in Dhaka such an outcome felt like strong progress and will enable England to go into Thursday’s second Test in Visakhapatnam with raised confidence.
“We got ourselves in a position to force a win and did not quite get over the line but it was a good Test match and everyone can be proud of how they played,” Cook said. “We proved to everyone else we can play. The reason we did not [declare earlier] was that I didn’t want to give India a sniff. Batting just to survive is a lot different from chasing 260-270. On the same wicket we were 180 for nought earlier. It was not a minefield. I am sure a braver person would have set 240 but I thought it was a fair declaration in the first game of a series.”
While Cook’s new opening partner, Haseeb Hameed, fell 18 runs short of becoming England’s youngest ever centurion in the morning session, after selflessly giving his wicket away trying to up the scoring rate, the England captain shared the general delight at the 19-year-old’s impressive showing on his debut.
Cook said: “He’s an unbelievable player. He was pushing me close to retirement when we walked off yesterday: a 19-year-old not only out-batted me but scored quicker than me and made it look easier than me. So it was a bit of a down-to-earth moment. But he’s a find, isn’t he? We had no doubt he could play and he’s certainly shown that.”
Cook was similarly generous in his praise of his fellow English centurions in the match, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes, in the first innings, especially Stokes’s similar five-hour epic to his own and proof that the all-rounder has developed significantly since averaging 13 in the United Arab Emirates 12 months ago.
He said: “A year ago Ben wouldn’t have been able to play that innings. It’s just down to sheer hard work. He’s our golden player. He balances the side, he allows us to play three seamers and three spinners. He bats at six and turning wickets were probably his last challenge. He’s worked incredibly hard and getting rewards for it. He’s a brilliant player.”
On a personal level, Cook’s 130 in the third innings saw more records fall to the left-handed opener, with it his ninth Test century in Asia – surpassing the record set by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis as a visiting player on the continent – and his 12th as England captain taking him past another landmark, previously held by his mentor Graham Gooch.
That it came after a scratchy first innings in which he was dropped twice and then failed to review an incorrect lbw, and a scratchy start to the second, was just the latest demonstration of the bloody-mindedness that has long been a hallmark of his Test career. It was celebrated with a baby-rocking gesture, as a nod to the birth of his second child prior to the series in Bangladesh.
“I sacrificed a bit to come out here. It is never easy so you want to score runs and say it is worth it,” added Cook. “When you’ve seen your daughter for 18 hours or whatever, it’s nice that you’ve scored a few runs.”
England announced at the start of the fifth day that Saqlain Mushtaq, their spin-bowling consultant on tour, has extended his stay with the team until the third Test in Mohali, with Cook crediting the former Pakistan international for the work so far, most notably Adil Rashid’s most promising outing to date that brought the leg-spinner seven wickets.
He said: “Our three spinners came in for a lot of criticism on a real turning wicket in Bangladesh but this was a flatter wicket to bowl on and we bowled a lot better. It’s been great to have Saqlain here. He’s made a massive difference for those guys. No one was talking of us having a chance in this series but the way we played showed we’re in there.”
