Ahmedabad Test’s second innings was the turning point, says Alastair Cook – Cricket News Update
Alastair Cook was over the moon after winning his first series as fulltime Test captain of England, especially as it came against India, in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, where the Three Lions had not won a series since 1984-85.
England were comprehensively beaten by the hosts in the first Test in Ahmedabad last month. The whole English batting line-up was bundled out for just 191 in their first innings, in reply to the hosts’ 521 for 8 (declared). Cook led England’s fight back in the second innings smashing a gutsy 176, well supported by a 91 from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Prior-c1984, as England went on to amass 406 runs before being bowled out.
After England lost the series opener by nine wickets, all and sundry predicted a 4-0 whitewash in favour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 turned the tables on the Men in Blue, winning the next two Tests by ten and seven wickets respectively, before drawing the final game in Nagpur.
Startling centuries from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/IR-Bell-c1597 saw England safely draw in the fourth and final Test at Nagpur on Monday to wrap up the series 2-1 – the first series win by an English team on Indian soil in nearly 28 years.
Cook, who walked away with the Player of the Series award after scoring a phenomenal tally of 562 runs, including three successive centuries, said that the turnaround was their second innings batting effort at Ahmedabad last month.
"I was not surprised with the way we stood together but at the level that we achieved. After Ahmedabad, I did talk about playing to our potential but to do it straightaway and put all those doubts to bed was a good thing and after that second innings, we knew we could score runs here," said Cook at the post-match press conference on Monday.
"It helped that we were playing on a wicket that we knew would have a result because it was turning so big. That took the pressure off us. We knew no one was expecting us to win apart from ourselves," he added further.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 home and away, before an Ashes defence on home soil in July-August next year.
Tags: