For Cricket fans, the fourth day of the fifth Test between England and India will be talked about for years to come. Not only did England take control of the Test, but Alastair Cook stepped out for his final game, bidding a fond farewell to Cricket and to England with a century.
There is no finer send off for a player than to finish on a high: surpassing Kumar Sangakkara as the fifth-highest Test run scorer, cementing your place as the most prolific left-hander, and reaching your 33rd Test century is one way of reaching that height.
The former captain completed his century alongside his successor Joe Root, putting on 259 runs for the third wicket between them. Cook received a standing ovation at the start of the day and as he left the field, batting out for England for the final time.
How the Rest of The Test Fared
After queuing up to congratulate Cook off the field India stepped up to bat and were given challenging time by Anderson who quickly dismissed Shikhar Dhawan and then Cheteshwar Pujara in the space of three balls. And it wasn’t Cook who secured himself some new accolades; James Anderson’s rapid three balls moved himself to within one wicket of passing McGrath outright and become the leading fast bowler in Test cricket.
The party atmosphere grew as Virat Kohli fell to Stuart Broad’s golden duck as the sun soaked the stands and the crowd sang Cook’s name.
Although he may not have been at his best over the course of the entire Test, he picked up through the gears as time went on, demonstrating his classic hip and cuts against the spinners, as well as fine straight drives.
His century came in somewhat comical fashion as he pushed and ran for a single on 96, only for a poor throw from Bumrah went for four, and bumped the total to 101.
