Cook stewing after loss

Skipper confident of bouncing back despite back-to-back defeats

Last updated: 18th October 2011   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Cook stewing after loss

Alastair Cook walks off having made a four-ball duck in Delhi

There were a lot of 30s and 40s, and we know that doesn't win the game. Virat and Gambhir showed us what a partnership can do.

Alastair Cook
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England captain Alastair Cook has called for his batsmen to take greater responsibility after another lacklustre performance resulted in an eight-wicket defeat to India in Delhi.

Batting first on a batsman-friendly pitch on Monday, the tourists were 0-2 after Cook and Craig Kieswetter were dismissed in the opening two overs, while Kevin Pietersen's 46 was England's highest score.

Jonathan Trott (34), Ravi Bopara (36), Jonny Bairstow (35) and Samit Patel (42) all got starts, but none was able to cash in, unlike India's Virat Kohli (112 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (84no) whose third-wicket partnership of 209 helped the home side chase down England's 237 all out with ease.

"We were 0-2 and quite a long way back," Cook told Sky Sports at the post-match presentation.

Credit

"There were a lot of 30s and 40s, and we know that doesn't win the game. Virat and Gambhir showed us what a partnership can do.

"It was a very good wicket and we got 30, 40, 50 runs too few, but credit to the way India played. They didn't give us anything.

"We've prepared well for games but haven't translated it into performances in the main games. It's in there somewhere but we have got to drag it out.

"We need to score more runs and our fielding wasn't at the standard we set."

After a winless two-month tour of England during the summer, India are now 2-0 up with three matches to play.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, though, insisted performances still come before results.

He said: "I'm really happy we are on the winning side. The series in England was not a good one, but we showed character.

"We didn't get frustrated, we remained social on the field and didn't lose our temper. It's good to be on the winning side now.

"But we take it one win at a time. We can only win one game at a time, and to do that, we have to do the right things and, whatever the result, it is about improving ourselves as cricketers."

Special

Playing on his home ground, Kohli, whose runs came in just 98 balls, picked up the man of the match award.

"Being at my home ground is always a special feeling," he said. "I was really keen to perform and luckily I pulled it off.

"At 29-2 it was doing a bit and the bowlers were getting bounce. But I played on a similar wicket in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and it was coming on beautifully so it suited my strokes.

"I knew if I got a good start I could get boundaries and we just had to put a partnership together."