Alastair Cook : arguably the best batsman from England

On the path of becoming one of cricket's finest batsman

When India went to England in 2007, my interest for cricket was developing. I was still grasping about the game but I got the feeling that this series is ought to be great. I knew about the players from the Indian team but it was the England team that I was unfamiliar of, specially one player called Alastair Cook.  Cricket experts called him “the bright future of the England cricket” and so he got a chance to play against India; I was very keen to see how he performs. His performance didn’t stand out from the rest but that has to do a lot with the fact that England lost the series but yet I at that time got the feeling that he’s certainly a bright prospect for the England cricket.

I keenly followed the career of Alastair Cook after that, I liked the way he went about his game. He has a technique very rare to see in today’s batsman. He’s quite calm at the pitch and just minds his own business; his concentration of course is of the highest standards. Just 2 years after the 2007 series against India, Cook was now a much more talked about batsman, as in people now started admitting that he is indeed a fine player and his place in the side was now looking cemented, this is in 2009. Cook didn’t get too much credit for his inning’s even at this point and that’s surprised me at times, he wasn’t “talked about” as much as he should have been but that’s understandable because he was still making a name for himself at the international cricket and was yet to play one of those innings which revolutionizes a batsman’s career.

It wasn’t till the late 2010, early 2011, till we saw the real Alastair Cook. I remember all the controversies surrounding him before the 2010-11 Ashes. Cook hadn’t been in a great form, his technique was under question and he had a lot to prove. It wasn’t even confirmed whether he’d be picked for the 2010-11 Ashes. Thankfully though he was picked and what followed next was “one of the finest performances from Cook that we’ve witness”. It was Ashes and the world cricket had it’s eyes closely glaring at the series.  The very first test match was awaited in great anticipation and this was the right moment for Cook to answer his critics. In the first innings the performance we saw from England was “mediocre”. They made just 260 and it worsened as the Australian team put up a solid batting performance and made 481. England team was already on the back-foot and their second innings was ought to be a match saving one.

What followed next was a nightmare for the Australian team. Both the England openers, Cook and Strauss, put up a thumping opening partnership. Strauss departed for 110 but Cook continued and answered his critics just in the right way by making a glorious 235*. Not only did he save the match for England but he also proved that he’s here to stay, he belongs to the England team and the Cook that we saw now was playing at his finest.  This 235* was tremendous for several reasons but one of the prime reasons being that he played under immense pressure and yet played  a match saving innings, this just correctly apprehends his character which is very strong and perfect for an opening batsman.

2011 was a great year for Cook, including a 294 vs India. Perhaps Cook’s greatest test was yet to come – the tour of India in 2012. When England came to India, I recalled the 2007 tour when India travelled to England and at that time, Alastair Cook was still making a name for himself and now he had come on this tour as the captain of the England team. Being an Indian fan I did want my team to win but at the same time, I was looking forward to see how Cook bats. This series was immense pressure for him, first because he had to show that he has a good technique against spin – which has always been a worry even for the greatest of the English batsmen, and secondly, he was the captain of the team and hence the pressure doubled. With Strauss retiring a few months prior to the tour, Cook’s opening partner too changed for the tour and he was also made the captain. I’ll not go too deep into the tour and just apprehend Cook’s performance as “being of the highest caliber”. England lost the first test but fought back with all guns glazing with the spin-duo of Swann and Panesar troubling the Indian batsmen and English batsmen specially Cook trashing India’s hopes to “make amends for the drubbing in England, in the 2011 tour”. As a Cook fan, this series was a very satisfying one, I was delighted with the way he performed.

Cook has progressed hugely as a batsman. What always shocks me is his age, he’s just 26 years old and his record is sensational for his age, he has already achieved so much. He did make his debut at a young age but no one would argue that he has performed sensationally well on consistent basis to be where he is at the moment. He’s now the captain of the England team and that’s an added up pressure to any cricketer but so far his performance both as a captain and batsman has been very satisfying. What we’re witnessing right now, is a player on the verge of being a legend, if he continues to play as well as he is – I can easily say that he’s certainly going to be one of cricket’s finest player’s ever. I certainly am going to continue following his career very closely because I’ve always felt that he’s a special talent and it’s only right to say that, he has started proving that.