‘It’s a tactical ploy to disturb middle of the wicket’ – Alastair Cook sheds light on the five-run penalty imposed on India

In a surprising turn of events during the third Test at Rajkot, India found themselves in hot water, thanks to former England skipper Sir Alastair Cook, who called the incident a “tactical ploy.” The incident in question involved India being penalized five runs for running on the wicket, which Cook believes was a calculated strategy to benefit the Indian spinners.

The penalty was imposed on India after R Ashwin, following in the footsteps of Ravindra Jadeja, ran in the middle of the pitch while batting. Umpire Joel Wilson, not missing the moment, signaled the five-run penalty in favor of England, giving them an unusual head start at 5-0 when they began their innings.

Cook, providing insights on the TNT Sports coverage, shed light on how England players Ollie Pope and Joe Root brought India’s infractions to the umpires’ attention. But what caught everyone’s attention was Cook’s belief that this was no accidental misstep by the Indian duo; instead, it was a calculated move to manipulate playing conditions.

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“Is it deliberate? Yes, it is. It’s a tactical ploy that you can disturb the middle of the wicket because Ashwin wants as much help when he can bowl [as possible]. Normally it happens in the third inning. You’re 150 runs, 200 runs ahead, you think, ‘lads, just make sure you get up and down the wicket’,” Cook asserted.

If you’re just walking up and down there a little bit more, you’re disturbing the surface: Cook

Cook, drawing from his playing days, revealed this tactic was something he would employ, highlighting how Essex, with the help of spinner Simon Harmer, clinched the 2019 County Championship title.

“We had Simon Harmer at Essex. The reason why we won a lot of cricket was down to Simon Harmer, he bowled a lot of off-spin to right-handers, and if you’re batting in that third innings, there’s no rule saying where you can back up and run. So obviously our batsmen – and I’m now probably stitching up Essex for next year – you’d make sure that the footmarks which are naturally there, if you’re just walking up and down there a little bit more, you’re disturbing the surface. That was gamesmanship there,” Cook added.

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