Alastair Cook, Trevor Bayliss
Trevor Bayliss has backed the England openers to come good against India in the remaining two Tests. Image Courtesy: Getty

Former England skipper Alastair Cook has come under heavy scrutiny for his terrible form in the five-match Test series against India so far.

Cook has been woefully out of form which had added to the problems of England at the top of the order. There is no doubt about the fact that he is one of the all-time greats, but his recent struggles have hurt his side.

However, Alastair Cook might have run out of the success recipe. Meanwhile, the England head coach, Trevor Bayliss has come out in support of Cook at a time when there have been quite a few questions raised about his future in Tests. Bayliss said Cook is striking the ball well 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.”

Trevor Bayliss feels Cook’s feet is moving well

“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.

Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook has been woefully out of form. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

England’s poor run in Test cricket has been mainly due to their openers. None of the opening combinations has settled in for England. The problems have increased with Cook’s lean patch. His partner Keaton Jennings has failed to score a half-century in his last 14 Test innings.

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However, Bayliss backed both the openers to come good 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.”

Trevor Bayliss backs Alastair Cook

“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.” England was skittled out for just 161 runs inside a session during the 3rd Test.

England never managed to recover, as India eventually registered a comprehensive 203-run victory. Joe Root gave a charged up lecture in the dressing room following the horrendous batting collapse.

Bayliss stated he is well aware of the attacking nature of the English batters and will look to continue to back them no matter what.

“The guys we have in the team play in a certain way. They are attacking-style players if you like. When you’ve been playing in a certain way for a number of years, it’s not the easiest thing to change in the heat of battle. I don’t know if it is good enough, but it is fact. I can’t say any more than that,” Bayliss said.

England, India, Trevor Bayliss, Virat Kohli
Trevor Bayliss has backed the likes of Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

“We know they have got to play the situation and the conditions like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes did (in the second innings). They are all aware of what they need to improve. It’s just taking a little while longer than they would like and we would like.

” I’d love to be able to give them a magic pill, and it happens overnight.” We believe these guys are our best players and will eventually be very good international cricketers,” he added.

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