Published: Jan 28, 2013, 01:52 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 28, 2013, 01:52 PM (IST)
Alastair Cook felt that it was important for the team to win and end on a high note © Getty Images
Dharamsala: Jan 28, 2013
England skipper Alastair Cook praised Indian bowler Ishant Sharma stating that they would like to have a play a few more matches in the long run. England ended their bilateral series against India by winning the last One-Day International at Dharamsala, even though they lost the series 2-3.
“He has bowled well throughout the series actually, and in the Test series as well. He is a fine bowler and I am sure we will have few more battles along the way.”
The English bowlers restricted India to a respectable total on Sunday. Ian Bell helped the visitors sign off their Indian tour on a winning note. Cook felt that it was important for the team to win and end on a high note.
“It was obviously important to try and win this game. We played well as a team. The bowlers set up the match well. And any time when you are chasing 227, if you have one of the top-order batsmen scoring a hundred, you can win the game. Ian Bell played beautifully. Us winning and him getting the Man of the Match was a just reward for getting a hundred in this game, and it shows how well he has batted,” Cook was quoted as saying by bcci.tv
“It was very important to end the series on a high. There’s always disappointment when you come to try and win a series, then lose 2-3. I thought the way the lads performed today was really good,” he added.
On being asked whether Dharamsala had an easy track to bat on, Cook replied, “It wasn’t. The wicket was still doing a little bit. It was good toss to win. Though it was hard to bat, we had to hold our nerve; and Bell did that. It is hard to stop good players from scoring and he certainly is one of those. We held our nerve and chased the target comfortably.”
“We have won some games of cricket here and when we play well, we are match-winners in any condition,” Cook concluded.
