The Indian team will be locking horns with England for one final time in the ongoing five-match Test series at The Oval Test. However, this Test match also happens to be the last international game for the English opener Alastair Cook as he has decided to call the curtains to his career after this game. He is the highest run-scorer in the longest format for England and also came closest to breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 33 Test centuries as an opening batsman called time on his illustrious innings on September 5. Cook has scored 30 centuries at the top of the order.
The occasion is expected to be an emotional one in London and England skipper Joe Root is hoping for an apt send-off for Cook. He said, “It will be quite an emotional week for him and for a lot of the guys who have played a lot of cricket with him. He will be a massive loss to our dressing room. But I’m thrilled he’s got an opportunity to enjoy this game.”
Root was aware of the decision in Southampton itself when they clinched the series against India, said Cook does not want too much fuss about his retirement day but if ever there was a time for it, “it’s now”.
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Talking about the preparation for the send-off, the English skipper, “We have not got anything planned per se but I’m sure spontaneously we will do something. It means a lot to the whole dressing room and they will be desperate to do everything they can to give him a great send off. It’s been an outstanding career – 12 years at the top of the order – to have a record like that is some feat, especially in these conditions for the majority of it. There are not many openers around the world who can match that, never mind English players. So he’s going to be very hard to replace.”
When asked if he had tried changing Cook’s mind, Root replied that Cook was adamant in his decision and when you get that impression from someone there was no point in me trying to talk him round.
Talking about Cook’s impact on him as well as English cricket, the skipper said, “I remember someone walking into the team and making it look so easy from the get to go at the top of the order. I managed to get to a couple of the games where he smacked it everywhere. Just phenomenal really! He’s been a huge influence on me. He’s the most down to earth superstar you’ll ever see. He’s always got time for everyone. I’ll miss him being around. Not just for his runs and what he adds to the team but him as a person as well.”
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Root also urged that Cook should pull off the curtains with a century as he has been seeing one coming for a while (a century) though you might not think it with the scores he has had in the last couple of weeks.
When asked if England is focussed in 4-1 scoreline, the skipper said, “My full focus has been on making sure we win this game. It’s been an area we’ve not got right in the past and to beat the number one side in the world and make it 4-1 would send a really strong statement of where we are at as a team and where we are looking to go as a team. It would sum up a good summer of cricket for us in difficult conditions,”
Root concluded by talking about his preferred batting position. He said that he prefers to bat at no. 4 as he thinks that it gets the best out of himself as a player and a captain. He only came to bat a no.3 as he thought it was the right thing to do by the rest of the team and gave the team the best chance of winning.
