Jul 28, 2014
England captain Alastair Cook was delighted to be back among the runs as England dominated India to reach 247 for two at stumps on Day One of the third Test at The Ageas Bowl, Southampton. Cook scored 95 while Gary Ballance is unbeaten on 103, his second consecutive Test ton.
“A great day for England, 25 for two, Ballance played well for another hundred. It’s a nice feeling to go past a couple of players there. But honestly I just needed the runs. It’s frustrating when you are not contributing to the team’s cause. Losing out on that extra five runs was gutting but more importantly we’re in a good position,” the skipper said i the video interview published by the official YouTube channel of ECB.
It was the 158-run second wicket stand between Cook and Ballance which powered England to a dominating total. “We know how big partnerships can take games away. 150 is a big partnership and we would’ve liked to go bigger and bigger. We fought ourselves to get to the position,” Cook said.
On the pitch conditions for the second morning, Cook said, “It’s going to be a bit cloudy for the next two days. And the wicket is likely to be a bit quicker. The second new ball carried a bit quicker which is a good sign. If it stays quite warm then it should deteriorate as the match progresses.”
Complete coverage of India’s tour of England 2014