Sachin Tendulkar bids adieu to Alastair Cook; praises him for his conduct

England opener Alastair Cook’s sudden announcement of retiring from international cricket at the end of the ongoing Test series against India has come as a surprise to many. However, the left-handed batsman – one of England’s most prolific in modern cricket, received applause from all over the world for his contribution to the game. Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar also wished the exiting cricketer, who posed a threat to his Everest of runs, all the best for his subsequent life.

Cook has scored 12,254 runs in 160 Tests over 12 years at an average of 44.88. He has scored 32 hundreds and 56 fifties in the longest format with the highest score of 294 scored against India in Birmingham. He made a memorable debut against the same opposition in Nagpur in 2006 by hitting a ton.

Tendulkar himself was known for his polite conduct on and off the field and he picked the same trait in Cook that made him a popular player. In his greeting to Cook, Tendulkar tweeted, “#AlastairCook has been one of the finest batsmen to have represented @ECB_cricket, and his conduct on-field and off it, has been impeccable. Well played Alastair. Wish you all the very best for what your 2nd innings has in store for you!”

#AlastairCook has been one of the finest batsmen to have represented @ECB_cricket, and his conduct on-field and off it, has been impeccable. Well played Alastair. Wish you all the very best for what your 2nd innings has in store for you! pic.twitter.com/Y2mZd31GaN

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 3, 2018

Cook came too close to Tendulkar

Had the 33-year-old batsman continued for a few more years, he would have posed a real threat to Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in Tests. Tendulkar has 15,921 runs in 200 Tests at an average of 53.78 and Cook, placed sixth in the list of highest scorers, is just 3,667 runs behind the legendary batsman.

Given Cook’s record of scoring a thousand Test runs every year since he started, it wouldn’t have taken around three-four years on an average for him to eclipse Tendulkar but having said that, Cook’s form took a dip in recent times. Even Graham Gooch, Cook’s long-time mentor who the latter eclipsed as England’s highest scorer in Tests, felt that the batsman started to show signs of “flat-lining”.

Though many remembered Cook for his contribution to English cricket, former English player like David Lloyd was of the opinion that the tall left-hander should be dropped immediately and not given a chance to play the final Test at the Oval for that would hurt England’s hunt to find his replacement.

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