"Duckett has made a guy with 500 Test wickets not know where to bowl" - Alastair Cook hails England opener for century on Day 2 of 3rd Test
Former England captain Alastair Cook praised opener Ben Duckett for his incredible knock on Day 2 of the third Test against India at Rajkot on February 16.
The 29-year-old swept and reverse-swept his way to a third Test century, finishing the day at 133* off 118 deliveries with 21 boundaries and two maximums. The opener's batting left the Indian bowlers stunned, with even their trio of spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav, conceding runs aplenty.
Cook was amazed by Duckett's ability to play a variety of sweeps at will against even Ashwin, who earlier picked up his 500th wicket. He said on TNT Sports at stumps on Day 2:
"Duckett has made a guy with 500 Test wickets [Ashwin] not know where to bowl. It has been extraordinary. The amount of skill you need to play those sweeps, it was out of this world. Wherever they put the fielder, he hit where they weren’t.
"I’d love to know how he does it. Is he picking an area and it goes there regardless, or is it more sophisticated than that?"
The southpaw reached his century off a mere 88 deliveries as England scored at almost six runs an over to reach 207/2 at the end of the second day.
Earlier in the day, the hosts ended their first innings with a formidable total of 445. Centuries from Rohit Sharma (131) and Ravindra Jadeja (112) bailed them out of early trouble.
"India need to bowl well and bowl their best ball, not chase Duckett" - Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook felt India has to stick to their bowling plans and not be rattled by England's batters and their Bazball on Day 3. The visitors have erased almost half the deficit in only 35 overs with eight wickets still in hand.
Cook said:
"India need to bowl well and bowl their best ball, not chase Duckett. I think India panicked a bit with the confrontational nature of Bazball.
"If England can have a session like they have just had tomorrow, they will be right up with India. They won’t be at 450 by lunch but could be closer to 400 than not. If Duckett keeps going, India will be under huge pressure."
Ashwin and Siraj have been India's lone wicket-takers, with one each thus far. Meanwhile, the star bowler of the series, Jasprit Bumrah, has gone wicketless in his eight overs.
With the five-match affair tied at one apiece and the Rajkot Test hanging in the balance, Day 3 could hold much significance in the final series outcome.