Graham Gooch hails Cook’s determination – Cricket News Update
England’s batting coach http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Graham-Alan-Gooch-c60530 has hailed skipper Alastair Cook’s performance in the Ahmedabad Test against India, where he scored a hard-fought century that went in vain as the tourists lost the match by nine wickets.
After being rolled over for just 191 in reply to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s first inning’s total of 521 for 8 (declared), the Poms were forced to follow on. Cook, who was the second-highest run scorer in the first innings with 41 runs, led his side from the front in the second innings, playing an impressive knock of 176 runs.
On the course, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Prior-c1984 unbeaten on 84.
However, Ojha removed the settled duo quite early on the final day to help his side restrict the Poms to just 406, setting a target of 77 runs to win for India. The hosts chased down the paltry total quite comfortably in 15.3 overs, at the cost of just one wicket, of Sehwag (25).
Though the visitors failed to win the match, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AN-Cook-c1026’s innings showed his teammates that spin could be countered in India if the batsmen read the situation rather than playing rash shots, employed by the majority of the English batsmen in Motera.
Gooch, the leading run-scorer in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 Test history, described Cook’s rearguard innings against Dhoni and Co. as "as good an innings as I've seen him play", and described the left-hander as "one of the best players in the world".
"Alastair led from the front as captain. [It was] as good an innings as I've seen him play," the former England great said of the skipper.
"He was under great pressure after a poor first-innings performance from the team ... He crafted a century (on day four). It wasn't a flamboyant innings - he did the job that was necessary."
"That will do him the world of good to put that score on the board, showing what he is capable of and what this team is capable of," the former Essex veteran added further.
The second Test between India and England starts in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 on November 23.
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