India v England (day five): Alastair Cook admits '˜we were not good enough' after defeat

England captain Alastair Cook pointed to missed opportunities after his side were blown away on the final morning to lose the fourth Test against India by an innings and 36 runs.
India captain Virat Kohli carries a stump as he celebrates with his players after their win over EnglandIndia captain Virat Kohli carries a stump as he celebrates with his players after their win over England
India captain Virat Kohli carries a stump as he celebrates with his players after their win over England

Resuming on 182-6, Cook’s side lasted just 33 minutes as they fell to 195 all out having lost their last six wickets for just 15 runs.

The defeat, which sees India win the series, is only the third time in Test history that a side has lost a match by an innings after making 400 or more first time round and Cook puts it down to conceding a 231-run deficit after dropping several chances when the hosts were still behind.

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“I thought 400 was a pretty good score on that wicket,” he said. “Historically on this ground 400 is a good score in the first innings, in the second innings we had our chances and in these conditions and this team at the moment and we are not taking our chances.

“They were 300-6 and Virat (Kohli) played an extraordinary innings but we had a chance on 60-odd to get rid of him. (Jayant) Yadav got a hundred and we had a couple of chances to get rid of him and those are the things the games are changing.

India players celebrate the wicket of England's Jonny BairstowIndia players celebrate the wicket of England's Jonny Bairstow
India players celebrate the wicket of England's Jonny Bairstow

“We were in the game for three days but we were not good enough to take those opportunities and that is what has cost us. Full credit to India, they have played great cricket and deserve to win the series.

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“We need to play a perfect game to win out here and we keep missing those opportunities in the field.

“We scored almost 600 runs on this wicket. To me we have batted better than we have in the last two Tests. I keep going back to the chances in this game. We had opportunities to bowl out India for 400 and we just didn’t take them.”

India captain Virat Kohli was the beneficiary of one of those dropped chances and he made England pay, going on to make 235 and help his side build a sizeable lead.

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli raises his bat and helmet after scoring double century on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli raises his bat and helmet after scoring double century on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli raises his bat and helmet after scoring double century on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

“It is a very special feeling,” he said. “Conceding 400 runs in the first innings was a tough challenge but the guys are mentally ready to fight it out.

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“Getting a 231-run lead has deflated the opposition, we saw that, we saw their body language. We knew this game was wrapped up when we got the 231-run lead.”

If England were to delay India at all, it seemed Jonny Bairstow had to be a key player.

But he was gone for the addition of just a single to his overnight 50 in only the second full over of the day to an outstanding piece of bowling from Ashwin, who moved the ball in the opposite direction to his conventional off-break to beat his victim on the outside edge and have him lbw deep in the crease.

England's batsman Joe Root raises his bat after scoring 50 runs on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)England's batsman Joe Root raises his bat after scoring 50 runs on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
England's batsman Joe Root raises his bat after scoring 50 runs on the fourth day of the fourth cricket test match between India and England in Mumbai (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A perfectly-pitched off-break then did for Chris Woakes, for a six-ball duck, in Ashwin’s next over.

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The neat sequence of one success per Ashwin over continued when Adil Rashid was compliant with a flick straight into the hands of deep midwicket.

Anderson’s arrival triggered a worsening of Ashwin’s mood, as the pair twice appeared to swap pointed observations at close quarters which required the intervention of both umpires.

There was nothing left to talk about, though, when Anderson chipped his adversary to midwicket to complete England’s defeat and leave Ashwin to celebrate his 12th wicket of the match and 27th in the series.

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