England coach backs cook, says he's still working harder than others

In the current series, Cook opened the English innings on our five occasions and score mere 81 runs at a dismal average of 16.2

Former England skipper and current Test opener Alastair Cook is going through a rough patch in the ongoing Test series against India. He has gone seven Test innings without a half-century, while Keaton Jennings - his 12th opening partner - is yet to cross that mark in his last 14 Test innings.

Meanwhile, head coach Trevor Bayliss has come out in Cook’s support. Answering the questions raised about Cook’s future, Bayliss stated that he is "striking" the ball as nicely as ever.

“Cooky has not changed his demeanour. You wouldn't know there was any difference between now and when he is scoring plenty of runs. He still practises as hard if not harder than anyone else. You watch him play in the nets and he is actually striking the ball quite nicely.

“His feet move well. I wouldn't say he is out of form - he is still hitting the ball well - he is out of runs in the middle. But he is giving himself every opportunity. He practises hard and he still plays an active role in his position in the team,” Bayliss said.

The coach though backed the opening duo to do the job in the remaining two Tests against India.

“When he was with the Lions in Australia last year, it was about trying to get a little more flow to his batting. He is a very upright player so he is probably never going to be one of those guys who gets well down over the front knee and sniffs the ball. It was about a little more rhythm.

“He's been working on his back lift to get a little more rhythm and flow. It's no easy task batting against these guys in these conditions which have been difficult. But that's the job of an opening bat.”

In the current series, Cook opened the English innings on our five occasions and score mere 80 runs (13, 0, 21, 29, 17) at a dismal average of 16. While his partner scored 94 runs in as many innings at an average of 18.8.