A brilliant unbeaten hundred from England’s captain Alastair Cook has put the visitors in the driving seat in the third Test of the series being played at the Eden Gardens, says a report in The Hindu.
“There was hardly a false stroke from Cook and Compton; hardly a hurried shot. True, Cook, on 17, offered Cheteshwar Pujara a tough, low chance at first slip off Zaheer Khan but that edge was a forgettable aberration in a most wonderful demonstration of batting that saw the England captain becoming the highest century maker in Tests for England. His 23rd century, fifth in succession as captain and third of this series, took him past Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey, Wally Hammond and Kevin Pietersen,” says the report.
The report spoke about the patience that Cook showed in his innings, “Cook, 27, loves to grind the bowlers. This is a distinct quality that separates him from some of the best in business. An opener with the perfect grooming, Cook brings lot of dignity to the art of scoring runs. There is an air of assurance in his preparation from the time he steps on to the field, takes guard, glances at the field and settles into his stance. The bat is always straight and footwork rarely faulty. The England captain is so good at adapting that good bowlers look commonplace when he is on strike. The Indian attack does not fall in this category. It was pedestrian this day,” the report said.
Meanwhile, the DNA reports about the casualness in the Indian team’s approach, “The casualness in thinking reflected on the field too. A general sloppiness had crept in leading to a sequence of overthrows. Not that the fielding was the main reason why India were on a leather hunt on Thursday; it’s their mediocre bowling which should take the big blame.
“On a slow wicket that demanded accuracy and variation in flight, India waited for England to err. But this was no Wankhede. As opposed to their counterparts who seem capable of spinning the ball on sand, the Indian spinners’ lack of turn was striking. It allowed Cook to play the sweep freely yet again. R Ashwin persisted with a leg-and-middle line and Ojha was, by and large, too flat to plant doubts. Clearly, they hadn’t learned,” the report said.