England are currently in Rajkot preparing for their first of the five-match Test series against India that is scheduled to start tomorrow. However, that hasn't stopped England skipper Alastair Cook from throwing some light on his own future as the leader of the side. “I don't know how much longer I am going to carry on," quipped the opener. The opener further indicated that he is looking to step down in the coming months. "It could be two months, it could be a year," he said.
Cook's shocking statements come at a time when he is on the verge of breaking the record of most matches played as England skipper. The opener will break Michael Atherton's record of 54 matches when the England cricket team take on India in the first Test at Rajkot on Wednesday.
However, the opening batsman went on to state that he would love to continue to play for England cricket team just as a batsman post his captaincy stint. "I do look forward to the day when hopefully I can play a Test match as just a batter, there's no doubt about that," the BBC quoted him as saying. Cook has played 135 Test matches so far scoring 10688 runs, the most by any English batsman, at an impressive average of 47.04.
He went on to say, "If that happens I am going to really enjoy standing at first slip and being the bloke who makes suggestions to whoever's in charge and not being the bloke who has to make the final decision." The 31-year old said that he was pretty happy about the way he has captained the England team for so long. "It makes me feel very satisfied that I've been able to do it for a long period of time and I've had a really good crack at it," he said.
Also read: All you need to know about the first India-England Test at Rajkot
Cook went on to claim that though it is difficult to captain the English side, he has been enjoying his stint so far. The BBC quoted him as saying, "There have been some tough moments and amazing moments and you can enjoy that success that little bit more because of what you go through as England captain."
Alastair Cook was handed over England's captaincy in 2012 and ever since that he has proven to be one of the best captains of the England national team. He has won 24 of his Tests in charge, claiming the Ashes on home soil twice and winning a series in India in 2012.
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