Alastair Cook: The chef who added vibrant flavours to Test cricket

Cook scored 71 and ended the second with 147. An innings that defined the class of the best left-handed opener of our time

Despite not willing to travel to Pakistan Milkha Singh ended up running the race of his life against the ace Pakistani runner as the Indian Government had requested him to attend the Goodwill Games held among the athletes of two countries. In Milkha's biopic, the Pakistani coach was seen throwing a challenge saying, “Ye aapki Zindagi ki akhri Race sabit ho sakti hai”. Milkha with his jaw tight, answered, “Daurunga bhi, waise hi”.

In the next 37 seconds or so Milkha's challenger realised that he had made the mistake of his life by saying those words. It was Milkha all the way as he ran like the wind.

This is what true champions are made of. When they are challenged, when the odds are not in their favour, when few eyebrows are raised, when there is not enough faith in their longevity, the best of them come on display. We have witnessed something of a similar sort at the historic Oval Cricket ground from the left-handed batting maestro, Alastair Cook.

Earlier in the series against India, he had been playing the first line against the spinners and was facing difficulties against quality out swing. The pressure was mounting on him when he decided to hang up his boots after the series. Despite scoring more than 12 thousand Test runs, there were critics talking about his footwork. Cook had just two more innings left in his illustrious career to answer. In the first innings, he scored 71 and ended the second with 147. An innings that defined the class of the best left-handed opener of our time.

Cricket has changed a lot following the introduction of the T20 format. Youngsters think of earning quick money by scoring a flashy 25 runs or bowling an economical 4-over spell. I won't say they are wrong.  After all when the easy route to success is open, why anyone would opt for the difficult options?

Some people though do take the challenging route. The reason can't be defined easily. For example, if I tell you why a scholar in economics does not work for an MNC and chooses to teach in a college. The answer is simple; it's sheer love for what he wants to do in life. Alastair Cook similarly found love in Test Cricket. The format that encourages class, temperament, character, guts and technique; it was these gems that Alastair Cook chose to display as he strode out to bat for the last time at the Oval.

Don Bradman needed just 4 runs in the last innings of his career to achieve an average of hundred, but he failed against Eric Hollis as his eyes were full of tears when he faced the English pacer. The match was played at the historic Oval Cricket ground. Oval is not always known for a melodramatic finish. But this time the God of cricket had perhaps thought that enough was enough. In an era when pure cricket is almost a dying art, at an era when spectators cheer a switch hit more than a perfect cover drive, he perhaps had decided Alistair Cook deserves a melodramatic finish. And thus it was that one of the last exponents of classical opening batting walked back into the dressing room one last time with his bat held high. What an innings, what a way to bid adieu!!

When he was walking out of the ground after that epic knock of 147, Alastair made me feel that if you respect the game, the game will respect you.