Asked Cook if he had second thoughts on retirement after Oval ton: Virat Kohli

Alastair Cook was a completely different player once he announced his retirement from cricket and went on to slam a century in his farewell game versus India at the Oval, just like he had done in his debut Test against the same opposition in 2006. However, Indian captain Virat Kohli asked the 33-year-old opener whether he had second thoughts about his retirement after hitting the ton – the 33rd in his illustrious Test career.

Cook had a forgettable series till the Oval Test as he could manage just 109 runs in seven innings with the highest score of 29. He announced his retirement plan after the fourth Test in Southampton which England won to clinch the series. Cook said he had “nothing left in the tank” and decided to hang up his boots after the fifth Test at the Oval.

‘Nothing left in the tank’ Cook plays best knocks at Oval

But his tank seemed to have been refuelled once he went out to bat in the final game. He hit 71 in the first innings off 190 balls followed by 147 in the second off 224 balls and accumulated 218 runs in one game – more than double of what he had in the previous four games. It was after his ton that Kohli asked the opener whether he was considering to reverse his decision. Cook, the highest run-getter for England in Tests and the fifth tallest scorer in the history of the game, said he stood firm on his ground.

“I asked him [Cook] on the field whether he had second thoughts (about retirement) now that he made 147. He said ‘not at all’. He felt more relieved more than anything else. You could see, he was enjoying his batting all over again,” Kohli said during a press conference after India lost the series 1-4.

“I congratulate him on the amazing career. We understand how difficult batting can be even if one plays here regularly. But the fact that he has scored so many runs all over the world shows the determination he’s always had,” Kohli added.

In his 12-year career, Cook has scored 12,472 runs in 161 Tests at an average of 45.35 and besides 33 centuries, he hit 56 fifties with the highest score of 294 scored against India at Birmingham in 2011. He also played 92 ODIs scoring 3,204 runs and four T20Is, scoring 61 runs.

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