Alastair Cook comes off age as a Captain

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"A leader is one who knows the way, shows and goes the way" – John C Maxwell.
In cricket, a game that is capricious by its very nature, it is very difficult for a player to learn what the right way to proceed is, let alone show it to others. But, the world wouldn't be what it is today if not for those rare individuals who, when unsure of where the path lay, created one themselves. Alastair Cook certainly seems to belong to that exalted clique of great leaders.Hailing from Essex, Cook’s approach to batting mirrored that of former English Captain and fellow club mate Graham Gooch.  On spinner-friendly wickets and while facing the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, Cook held his own and went on to score a hundred in the second innings to steer England to safety. Ably guided by Paul Collingwood at the other end, Cook ensured that England got to a position from which it would not lose.A productive series against Pakistan, in which he scored two more tons, followed before he embarked on a tour of Australia to make his Ashes debut. An Australian team that had clearly not forgotten the defeat that it had been handed the previous year walked all over England dealing the latter a 5-0 whitewash. Despite scoring a ton in the fourth Test at Melbourne, critics expressed disappointment over Cook's inability to handle Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, the heroes of Australia's epic triumph. It would be four years before Cook would get his second Ashes ton.In the years that followed, the English team would find itself battling upheavals within its ranks, with Kevin Pietersen being the central figure in most of the episodes. But, those were also the years when Cook managed to consolidate his position at the top of the order. Along with Andrew Strauss, who led him for close to three years in international cricket, Cook formed a potent opening combination. Cook's ability to bat for long periods and absorb pressure afforded Strauss the freedom to go for his strokes. As a direct consequence, the English batting line-up stabilised to a great extent. Cook was seldom swayed by a desire to match his more aggressive partner in stroke-play and it was this display of maturity that saw him being named Strauss' deputy in 2009. Before Cook took on the job of Test Captain full-time, he led England on its tour to Bangladesh admirably while amassing a horde of runs.The law of averages finally caught up with Cook when in 2010, he had what was a protracted run of miserable form. But, as the maxim goes, form is but temporary whereas class is permanent. After three miserable Tests against Pakistan in a series that would awaken cricket to the existence of "spot fixing", Cook beat the odds and in trying conditions, scored a fighting hundred in the fourth and final Test. It was not his most fluent effort; in fact, it was an innings that even Cook, in retrospect, would admit to being one of his least admirable in terms of stroke-play. Up against three bowlers who were swinging the ball all over the place, Cook managed to cling on to his wicket and in the end, helped England script a most memorable win. In hindsight, it can be argued that his fighting hundred against Pakistan in the series decider was the prologue to what was and continues to be Cook's most illustrious phase.Having managed to shake off the demons, Cook arrived in Australia to help England hold on to the Ashes that it had managed to snatch back from the Aussies in 2009. The 2010-11 Ashes will, for eternity, be etched in the memories of cricket fans for two reasons—it was the first time that England managed to win a series in Australia since 1987, and for Alastair Cook's extraordinary feat that would see him to the pantheon of all-time greats. With 766 runs in five Tests and three tons in the series, Cook had become England cricket's latest mascot. The Pietersens, Ian Bells and Strausses were entertainers, who when at the crease, were a joy to behold. But, it was on Cook's exploits that England rode to register a landmark 3-1 series victory in Australia. Cook found himself being serenaded in England and in the aftermath of the ICC World Cup in 2011, was handed over the reins of the ODI side.The decision to hand Cook, a player who had not even been a part of the English squad for the 2011 WC irked quite a few people, Geoffrey Boycott among others. Cook's modest record in ODIs did not endear him to his merciless critics either. But, Cook, with poise that would have made Winston Churchill proud, took barbs and compliments in the same vein and went about his job as if nothing had been said. Soon, Cook adapted his game to suit the ODI format and was crowning England in glory.Clearly England's best batsman, it only seemed a matter of time before Cook would eventually be handed the big job. In 2012, after England lost the home series to South Africa, Strauss decided to bid adieu to the game, having completed a centenary of Tests. Cook did not even have to ask for the job, it was his. Taking over the reins in in unrestrained times with the shadow of the Pietersen affair looming large in the background, Cook went about his business paying little heed to affairs off the field. But, Pietersen returned and it certainly looked like the dust had finally settled in the English dressing room.A tour to India with him at the helm of the English side was more than Cook had bargained for and a resounding Indian win in the first Test raised serious doubts about his capability to handle the big job. But, a man not prone to words but to action, Cook answered his critics in the only way he knew how: With his willow. In the course of scoring three tons in the series, Cook entered the History books for going past Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and Kevin Pietersen as the batsman with most number of Test tons for England.Now a battle-hardened veteran, Ashes glory as a Captain is probably the one thing that will be his driving force.