Cook Praises India's Brave Strategy: Batted First, Benched Ashwin

Opting to go in without a proven performer like R Ashwin and batting first in an opening Test of a high-pressure series in Australia are reflections of an Indian team that is brave and supremely confident in its ability to win from any situation, feels England's all-time great Alastair Cook.

Former captain Cook, who was the first England batter to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket, welcomed India's remarkable comeback from getting bowled out for just 150 in the first Test at Perth.

"I thought India was very brave. I thought that first, you know, they win the toss and bat on that wicket, you look there, even though there is only 150 they get, the thought process is to say, 'we are going to take Australia on that place. We know that it's going to be hard, but we believe it's going to be hard for both parties only, and then it's going to be a one-innings game, '"Cook said on TNT Sports.

He said, "I reckon most captains would have bowled first, certainly would have done and probably gotten the end of a bad result, like normally in Australia. But India took it on brilliantly. It was just an all-round fantastic performance.

"You think. bowled out for 150, you think we're struggling here, but to bounce back when you've got Boomer (Jasprit Bumrah) up with the new ball on those kinds of wickets, he's always going to be outstanding and backed up by team."

Captaining the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, pace spearhead Bumrah came up with a magnificent performance to grab eight wickets, including a first-innings five-for, to lead India to a memorable win.
Speaking about India's move to leave out the senior off-spinner Ashwin from playing XI, Cook said, ". Just think of how brave they were? They did not bother playing Ashwin who has got 500 Test wickets. They have kind of played a couple of like, not makes you spinners, but you know, I thought Ashwin would have been outstanding, but you know, great thinking by them."

"And isn't it nice to see Australia get thrashed?"

Cook praised the "classy" Yashasvi Jaiswal for the way he has dominated the menacing Australian pace attack and said he wouldn't have told the menacing Mitchell Starc he is bowling too slow even if he was.

He did not get to open his account in the first innings of the series opener, but he adapted to the conditions very beautifully and played a brilliant 161-run knock in the second essay, his maiden century on Australian soil.

In the second day of the game, Jaiswal communicated with Starc, saying, "It's coming too slow." This statement saw his confidence gaining many fans in the cricketing fraternity, especially former England skipper who was a run machine for long periods of time.

"We have seen his partying enough here, but it's more fun to enjoy against Australia than England, certainly," Cook said, referring to Jaiswal's phenomenal run in the Test series against England, wherein he managed more than 700 runs.

And sledging Mitchell Starc, saying at a certain stage, I think he wasn't on 100, he wasn't on anything on a major score, but he's telling him you're bowling slow.

"And then I faced Mitchell Starc and he certainly doesn't bowl slow, and even if he was bowling slow, I would shut my mouth and not wind him up but have the confidence to do that as a 22 year old.

"I believe he scored the most runs as any Indian player up after 15 Test matches at the top of the order, which I'll keep saying it, no one else believes me, it's the hardest place to bat. What a classy player he is."
India thrashed Australia by 295 runs in the five-match series opener and Cook said he was pleasantly surprised by the result.

"I was surprised. I was surprised that India have gone there and hammered Australia in what normally is a very hard place to go and play cricket, Perth. I know it's not the WACA. I know it's the new stadium, but still, historically, Australia don't lose many games there," Cook said.