Alastair Cook expresses delight on breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record

Cook became the youngest batsman to breach the 10,000-run mark in Tests

When Alastair Cook nonchalantly flicked one off Nuwan Pradeep through the leg-side, the ball seemed to take an excruciating time to travel to the boundary. Perhaps, it was fitting in a way because England had to wait for innumerable years to finally have a batsman with 10,000 Test runs against his name.

However, the wait was worth it with the England captain becoming the youngest player to reach the landmark by eclipsing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. The 31-year old was on the verge of the record for quite some time and finally seized the opportunity in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street.

Upon completing the highly anticipated feat, Cook was understandably a relieved man. He enthused, “It's a very special moment for me. But, the game is not about personal milestones, it's about winning games and scoring runs to do that.”

The left-hander also thanked the iconic Graham Gooch for helping him hone his technique. Cook reminisced, “It's those seven o'clock nets with Goochie. It's all that hard work that goes with it.”

Cook was also pretty pleased that his family members were able to witness the moment. He affirmed,“There's always questions to be asked – No matter how many runs you have behind you, the next innings is most important. It does mean a lot but I couldn't do it without the support of my family and team-mates.“

When asked about what was his next target, the opening batsman quipped, “Who knows? I never thought I would get 10,000. Now, I will have to have a rethink and set something else personally.“

Meanwhile, tributes came pouring in for him from various quarters. Former England skipper Nasser Hussain noted, "After that 5-0 Ashes loss Down Under when he was a broken man and everyone was applauding Michael Clarke's captaincy, the easiest thing would have been to say, ‘I just want to concentrate on my batting’.”

Hussain added, “But, he said, ‘No, I'm going to prove people wrong'. Since then, he's won the Ashes back, he's won in South Africa and he'll continue to have that stubborn streak. It's what makes him the magnificent cricketer that he is.”

The fact that England have already captured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series against Sri Lanka will give immense delight to Cook and his troops. With only 12 players in the exclusive 10,000-run club including him, the seasoned campaigner has effectively sealed his place among the sport’s elite batsmen.