England skipper Alastair Cook has a heartwarming relationship with India. Back in 2006, Cook stole the show, with a flawless century on Test debut at Nagpur, as his ton in the second innings got England to a solid position. Six years later, just as he was about to begin his captaincy reign, very few around him backed the southpaw to succeed. Against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh, Cook had to scale a humongous mountain.
Four Tests down the line, Cook just didn’t do that personally, but went on to lead England to a series victory as his inspiring performance stimulated the poms to perform as one complete unit. That stood as England’s first series victory in India since 1984. Cook since then, has matured tremendously as England’s captain and has developed a team full of responsible individuals. As captain, Cook has played 54 tests, winning 24, and on a personal front, averages 47.6, slightly above his career average of 46.87.
Moving back to 2012, the four-match series was quite a special one. Not so much for Indian fans, as it stands as the only series loss for former Test captain MS Dhoni at home. But from a larger, overall cricketing perspective, that particular series stood out for more than just one reason. First and foremost, no other batsman in the modern day game had dominated India in India with such ruthlessness till that moment. What Cook did in 2012 against India, stands as an inspiring example for all budding batsmen across the globe.
On tracks assisting spinners colossally, Cook negotiated the duo of Ashwin and Ojha with utmost ease and grace, while the other batsmen struggled against the slower bowlers. After trying his absolute best to save the game for England at Ahmedabad with a magnificent 176-run knock, Cook set his sight on Mumbai. After a loss in the first game, England were under pressure to deliver as a rank turner with sharp bounce awaited them at Mumbai. After bowling out India for 327, Cook began his 336 minutes long vigil as his 122 was England’s spine. Kevin Pietersen came to the party in that innings, as his knock of 186 had a daunting impact upon the series, where he simply decimated the Indian spinners.
Thanks to a brilliant bowling display from Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in the second innings, England went on to win the game and level the series. A flatter wicket welcomed England at Kolkata and after once again dismissing India for a below par total, Cook was at his best again. A marathon knock of 190, where he was ironically run-out, punctured India’s hopes of doing well in the game, as England went 2-1 ahead. He might have not scored big at Nagpur, but his heroics throughout the series were enough to ensure that England had created history and done something extraordinary.
Now jump ahead to 2016, and things are bound to look a little different. India are now being led by a more dynamic and energetic individual, who places foremost attention towards aggression in all aspects. Their ace spinner, R. Ashwin, is probably at the height of his bowling prowess and has broken records without much of hindrance. To add to that, in Ravindra Jadeja, India have a spinner, whose accuracy is so phenomenal, that he has the best bowling average in the history of the game in home Tests. Going by these facts, England are bound to begin as underdogs no matter how good Cook has been in this part of the globe.
The form displayed by Cook’s own side doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence either. That 2012 team, had other champion batsmen, who could play spin decently, if not superbly. The absence of seasoned individuals such as Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen will take a toll on Cook, as the southpaw will be under the added burden of doing well. They have Joe Root in the middle, but he comes on the back of a poor series in Bangladesh himself.
Bowling wise though, England face a big deficit as no bowler currently, is anywhere near the class of Graeme Swann or Monty Panesar. Moeen Ali has troubled India in the past, but that was due to India’s blunder of gifting him wickets. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli have matured tremendously since 2014, and are more than capable of making Ali look like just another spinner. Thereby, handling his current bowlers will be another burden on Cook, which can potentially affect his batting. The sure shot absence of James Anderson from the series opener in Rajkot is another huge blow for England.
All in all, it seems highly unlikely that Cook will repeat his heroics of 2012. Yes, one understands the fact that he is the most successful batsman in Asia ever with 2341 runs to his name, but expecting him to replicate that every time wouldn’t be sensible. On adding to that, R. Ashwin, India’s spin ace, is now a way more lethal bowler than he was in 2012, as experience has transformed the Tamil Nadu offie into a serious monster. Everything said, Cook’s battle with the Indian spinners will pretty much make for an interesting episode in the highly anticipated series.