Is it an opportunity lost? - Alastair Cook lashes out at England's batting collapse on Day 3 of IND vs ENG Test

Former England captain Alastair Cook criticized the Ben Stokes-led team’s batting display on Day 3 of the third Test match against India. Alastair Cook stated that the England team had lost the opportunity to win the encounter with the disappointing batting collapse.

The visiting team started the third day on 207/2 with Ben Duckett and Joe Root at the crease. However, they bowled for 319 runs in their first innings in Rajkot. Indian bowlers delivered a remarkable performance on the third day, despite Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence.

Ben Duckett was the leading scorer for England, amassing 153 runs off 151 balls, including 23 fours and two sixes. Ben Stokes contributed 41 runs off 89 deliveries. Mohammed Siraj picked up four wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja claimed two each.

England Have Been Poor With The Bat – Alastair Cook

Speaking to Sky Sports, Alastair Cook questioned whether the England team had squandered an opportunity. The former opener pointed out that England lost eight wickets in one session, stating that such collapses rarely lead to victory.

“My shout [from yesterday] of ‘they could score 800 tomorrow is not looking too good – I’m only 481 off. Is it an opportunity lost? England have been poor with the bat – they’ve lost eight wickets for 116 today and you don’t win many matches when you collapse like that in the first innings,” said Cook.

India Were Poor Yesterday – Alastair Cook

Cook highlighted India’s contrasting performance between Day 2 and Day 3, mentioning that India bounced back after a challenging day.

“To win Test matches you have to be good for such long periods of time. India were poor yesterday but they’ve been very, very good today,” Cook added.

It Was The Wrong Time To Play It – Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook criticized Joe Root‘s dismissal for attempting a ramp shot against India’s premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah, emphasizing it was an ill-timed move. He highlighted Root’s consistent batting struggles against Bumrah in the series.

“You have to question if it was tactically right to play that shot. You’ve got Bumrah, who is India’s best bowler, and Root has struggled against playing him. When he played it in the Ashes on the first ball on day three at Edgbaston, we didn’t mind because it was about getting runs. But in this series, when all the wickets have been in the first 30 minutes of play, it was the wrong time to play it,” said Cook.

Joe Root’s batting struggles persisted as he fell for 18 runs while attempting his trademark reverse scoop off Jasprit Bumrah. The right-handed batter mistimed the shot, resulting in an edge that flew to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who completed the catch at second slip.

In the ongoing Test series, the ex-England captain has scored a mere 70 runs in five innings at an underwhelming average of 14. The 33-year-old batter’s dismissal by Bumrah marks the third instance in this series and the ninth in his overall career against the pacer.

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin lashes out at Alastair Cook for accusations of deliberately running on Rajkot pitch