Chennai hammering could convince Alastair Cook to step down, admits England coach
The day, which should be among England’s worst ever, may go on to decide the future of their skipper. Head coach Trevor Bayliss has admitted that the fourth day of the Chennai Test could “possibly“ convince Alastair Cook to step down as captain.
Upon winning yet another toss and amassing 477 in the first-innings, the visitors saw India respond in full force. Led by Karun Nair’s triple century, they motored to 759/7 before finally ending their opposition’s misery.
The total, apart from being India’s all-time highest in Tests, is also the most that England have conceded in their 139-year history. Only Stuart Broad managed to keep his economy rate under three as dropped catches and negative body-language added to their woes.
At the end of day press conference, Bayliss reflected on the mayhem that had been piled on them and attempted to make sense of the ensuing debris whilst looking at his team’s future.
When asked about Cook’s future as captain, he felt, “That's a decision only he (Cook) will know the answer to. He's done it for so long, whether I say yes or no, it won't change his mind whether he keeps going or stops. I'm not big on the technology but I'm sure we'll speak on the phone at some stage over Christmas.”
“If he keeps going, fantastic. If he stops, that's up to him and I've got no problems with that either. I won't actually sit down to have a chat with him. We've got six or seven months till our next Test match, so there's plenty of time for him to have a think about it,” he added.
Before the series began, Cook himself had hinted at the possibility of relinquishing the captaincy. With the series loss in India adding to the rigours which accompany leading an international team, England have already started to find his successor. Not surprisingly, Joe Root appears to be the front-runner for the role.
Bayliss acknowledged, “I don't think there are too many of our players who've actually captained too many teams, or any of their county teams. Joe Root has done a few games on tour when Cookie's had a bit of time off or when he's off the ground. Joe is obviously our number one bat and is highly respected by the players. He's one of those guys who leads by example and I can't see that being any different when and if he takes over.”
He elaborated, “If he takes over, I suppose, because we haven't actually made that decision either. That will come next if Cookie does step down. But he seems like he's the leading candidate at this stage.”
Since taking over the captaincy after Andrew Strauss’ retirement in August 2012, Cook has led his country in 59 Tests* (including the Chennai Test) which is five more than any other skipper in England history. Some of the highlights include two Ashes triumphs (2013 & 2015), series wins in India (2012) and South Africa (2015/16).