England skipper Alastair said they were up against alien conditions, in which more than one England squad had floundered in the past. They were off to a bad start and yet, when it mattered the most, Captain Cook’s England had all the answers for Captain Cool’s India. Elated at having led England to a series victory over India, it had been an incredible tour for his team, England captain Alastair Cook said here on Monday.
“It’s been an incredible tour. It’s a special day and a special tour for me. The memories will remain for long,” Cook, the Man of the Series, said at the post-match interaction.
Tasting success on his first full tour as England captain, the 27-year old said that the series win, England’s first on Indian soil in 28 years, was a dream start to his captaincy.
“It’s been a dream start. My first tour, away to India. It couldn’t have been tougher than that. It’s on a par with the Ashes win,” said Cook, who emerged as the highest run-getter in the four-match series with 562 runs including three centuries.
Adaptability was the biggest factor in the turnaround of their fortunes after his team, except himself, looked all at sea on a spinning pitch at Ahmedabad in the opener.
“How quickly we were able to adapt to the conditions was the key to our performance. After, Ahmedabad no one, except ourselves, expected us to win the series. But after the second innings (where Cook scored 176), we thought that we could do it. We carried that confidence into Mumbai and did well. Tactically, we’ve learnt a lot as the tour went on,” he said.
Although he never doubted his team’s ability to bounce back, he admitted that he was surprised by how quickly his teammates were able to adapt to the conditions, especially after his 176 at Ahmedabad.
“It’s for them (teammates) to say if I inspired them, but I was a little surprised at how quickly the guys adapted to the conditions,” he said.
Acknowledging the part played by their coaching staff, especially team director Andy Flower, batting coach Graham Coach and spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed, the England captain said: “Our bowlers have been brilliant and all the batsmen contributed. I can’t praise the team enough, and the support staff have been great.”
Praising the batting effort from centurions Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell on the final day, he said: “It was a flat wicket to bat on but Trott and Bell did it so calmly. We were quite surprised with the pitch at the start, how low and slow it was, but it got better. We knew if we didn’t get out to soft dismissals, it would be hard to bowl us out and I’m proud the lads fronted up,” he said.