We can level the series in Bombay
By Alastair Cook
(Filed: 14/03/2006)
The disappointment of yesterday's defeat in Mohali has not shaken our belief that we can go on to level the series in Bombay.
I've only been in the England squad for a couple of weeks but there is a very positive attitude and we don't feel that we are that far away from the Indians.
If we are being self-critical we would have to say that we didn't get enough first-innings runs having won the toss. We thought that 300 got us into the game but, with the benefit of hindsight, we needed something closer to 400.
The fact that the first two days were disrupted probably didn't help us. We would have liked to have batted when the sun was out but we cannot use that as an excuse. We had a chance to put India under pressure but we didn't make enough runs. We know that's something we need to address in Bombay where, I'm told, there have been 14 positive results in the last 20 Tests.
That means that we do have a chance to level the series. To do that we will have to make sure we bat a long time, that someone gets a big hundred and that the rest of us can give support. It's a case of transferring some of the pressure to India.
After the euphoria of my debut Test in Nagpur, people will think that Mohali must have been something of an anti-climax. But cricket does have a way of evening itself out.
I am disappointed not to have scored more runs but I've tried not to be too down on myself. I'm still new to international cricket and the disappointments of the last few days will make me more determined to enjoy my successes when they come along.
Munaf Patel enjoyed his debut in Mohali. I was still in the West Indies with England A when he took wickets against us in a warm-up match last month. He took 10 wickets in that game which obviously gave him bags of confidence. He's quite a handful, reverse-swinging the ball in the mid-80s mph which is going to test batsmen at any level.
Patel finished with seven wickets in the match but Anil Kumble took nine. I thought we played Anil well in Nagpur but he showed what a world-class bowler he is in Mohali on a pitch that offered turn and bounce.
It's a little bit unfair to draw comparisons between Anil, who has been playing Test cricket for 10 years, and Monty Panesar, who has just completed his second Test. They are two very different spinners. Monty is right at the start of his Test career but he has so far looked very much at home.
As a team we've already been written off by many in the media because of the injury problems we've suffered and the disruption that was caused before the tour.
Everyone is disappointed that we couldn't turn a promising start into victory in Mohali, none more so than Andrew Flintoff. He had an outstanding game with two fifties and four wickets to round off a week in which he became a father again.
Everyone is determined to follow his positive example, learn from our mistakes and try to level the series in Bombay.
Don't write us off
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