Team India gives a guard of honour to Alastair Cook

Ever since Alastair Cook has announced his retirement from international cricket, all his fans are expecting him to play a big knock in his last game. The crowd at the Kennington Oval erupted in joy when Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first as they knew that the country’s greatest opener was going to come out to bat in some time. While they gave him a standing ovation to welcome on a sunny morning, Team India’s gesture to give him a guard of honour is being hailed as well.

Cook will bow out of the international arena with 161 Test matches and more than 12,000 Test runs to his name. Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, termed him as the best opener ever in the longest format of the game at the toss and also cheekily hoped that he doesn’t score big in his final game. However, he acknowledged Cook’s contribution to England cricket and praised him for the same.

“We have seen too much of Cook at times. Cook has been a great great player. To get 12,000 runs as an opener in these conditions and all over the world is outstanding. He will go down as one of the greatest openers in Test cricket,” he said while speaking to Nasser Hussain at the toss.

Respect for the legend

Alastair Cook has done more than he could’ve in his 12-year illustrious career. He deserves all the accolades coming his way which is what he received when he walked out to bat at The Oval on Friday. The crowd stood up in applause and clapped for their veteran and as he moved forward, Team India players were also waiting for him to arrive. They gave him a guard of honour as Cook thanked them and shook hands with the skipper Kohli.

This gesture from the visiting team is really praiseworthy as they gave him all the respect he deserved. Now it will be interesting to see if they will be able to get him out early in his penultimate stint on the 22 yards.

Here’s the video:

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