Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook urged the Ben Stokes-led team management to make a tough decision by dropping under-fire batter Jonny Bairstow from the upcoming fourth Test against India, which is set to be played in Ranchi on February 23.
Cook stressed the need to "protect the player," who has been struggling since the start of the ongoing five-match Test series in India. Bairstow, who is currently playing as a specialist batter, has faced a dismal run of form, with an average of 17.00 in the ongoing Test series.
Bairstow’s scores read 0, 4, 25, 26, 37, and 10 across six innings against India, and given that, Cook wants England to drop him from the playing XI for the 4th Test as they are already 1-2 down in the series.
Alastair Cook told ‘TNT Sport’: “I'm taking him out of the firing line to protect the player, as I think he's had a tough tour so far and India is a tough place to keep going on the treadmill.”
The legendary batter added, “I'm not saying he'll never play Test cricket again, but it's good to have someone who's fresh of all the debris of this series so far.”
Cook backed Dan Lawrence to replace Bairstow in the England’s playing XI for the Ranchi Test.
He explained, “When you're not scoring runs, there's a build-up of pressure and momentum from certain bowlers on you, so I'd let Dan Lawrence have a go.”
However, Michael Atherton feels different, as the former England skipper doesn’t see Bairstow getting dropped from the team.
Atherton said on the 'Sky Sports Cricket Podcast': “(Bairstow) has been so central to this project that I don't see them leaving him out now, at a critical juncture.”
The fifth and final match of the ongoing Test series is scheduled to be played in Dharamsala, and Cook feels James Anderson and Mark Wood will be dangerous for India there.
Cook signed off by saying, “I think James Anderson and Mark Wood will be very effective in the cooler conditions of Dharamsala, so I'm taking them out of the attack as they've bowled a lot of overs in a short period.”
(With PTI Inputs)
