Though England start as underdogs, skipper Cook says he'll take confidence from 2012-13 series which they won 2-1 despite losing 1st Test in Ahmedabad
Alastair Cook executes the sweep shot during a training session at Brabourne on Saturday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
England's shock defeat to Bangladesh last week and India’s impressive Test record at home notwithstanding, visiting skipper Alastair Cook exuded confidence ahead of the five-match Test series starting in Rajkot on November 9. Cook is clearly not reading too much into his team being the underdogs against a rampant Indian team.
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Those who recall what happened in his last Test series in India (2012-13) will relate to his positive attitude. England lost the first Test in Ahmedabad but went on to win the next two in Mumbai and Kolkata. The series ended 2-1 in England’s favour after the fourth Test was drawn in Nagpur.
Turn around in 2012-13
“I was asked if India would win 4-0 at the press conference then and I remember saying we might turn around and win 3-1. So anything is possible on this tour too,” said the 31-year-old England skipper after the team wrapped up their two-day net sessions at Brabourne Stadium.
On Saturday, even after the entire team was done with their batting, Cook didn’t remove his pads. He was looking to have another go and perfect the sweep shot which is most likely to be used in abundance on this tour. He took around 300 throw-downs and dispatched most balls between square-leg and mid-wicket. After Cook, the entire England top order took turns, laying emphasis on that particular shot.
‘It’s a big challenge’
The England team leaves for Rajkot today, and though confident, Cook knows that they will face a huge challenge in this series. “It’s always a big challenge playing the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team in their backyard. It is a huge task, especially when you know that this group hasn’t played too much cricket in these conditions,” said Cook.
England’s head coach Trevor Bayliss accepted that the Indian team has two good players in captain Virat Kohli and off-spinner R Ashwin, but it will be a huge mistake to focus on those two guys alone. “Both are very good players. But if we concentrate on just one or two of their players it’s a wrong way to go about it.”
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