Record-breaking Cook shows England how it's done

There was much brouhaha before this series kicked off. Former cricketers proclaimed, in unison, that England would be demolished in India. Michael Vaughan predicted a 0-4 pasting for Alastair Cook’s team due to their ineptitude against top-class spin, while the current crop of Indian cricketers made no bones while asserting that they would like to settle scores with the visitors for India's 0-4 drubbing in England last year. Graeme Swann added fuel to the fire by saying that India's spin attack was ordinary and would not pose any threat to England batsmen.
This was the first Test series for England after Andrew Strauss stood down as a captain and retired from international cricket. Kevin Pietersen was making a comeback to the Test side after the 'text messages' saga which saw him axed from the team following Headingly Test. England had conceded their No. 1 Test ranking to South Africa after they lost at home 0-2.England's record in India is far from enviable - they won their last Test series here in 1984-85 - and looking at all these factors everyone expected them to cave in meekly. Among all the hoopla, one man remained composed and unperturbed - Cook. He has a special bond with India. He made his Test debut here at of 21 when he replaced Marcus Trescothick, who flew to England just before the start of the three-match series due to 'depression', and looked at ease in scoring 60 and an unbeaten 104 in a draw. Since then he has become a vital cog of England's Test side.
Playing your first Test series as a full-time captain in India isn't a choice most captains would wish for but Cook has shown steely temperament - both as a captain and batsman - to put England in a situation where they could think of giving the Indians a taste of their own medicine. The beginning of the Test series wasn't ideal for England. In the first Test in Ahmedabad, they were shot out for 191 in the first innings in reply to India's mammoth score of 521 for 8 and looked doomed. But Cook led from the front and compiled a marathon 176 in the second innings to show his team how to tame India’s rampaging spinners. He combined with Matt Prior (91) to restore some pride for his country.
Though England lost the Test, Cook's piece de resistance turned his team's fortunes. They took a lot of heart from their skipper's indefatigable tenacity and valor.
They roared back in Mumbai by routing India by 10 wickets. On a dustbowl, Monty Panesar was drafted into the team and snapped up a ten-wicket haul to outclass India’s spinners. Pietersen made an audacious 186 and Cook a steely 122. While Pietersen and Panesar walked away with laurels, Cook, who laid the foundation for the victory, preferred to remain behind curtains and let his team-mates revel in the glory.