PANAJI
Sir Alastair Cook, one of England’s most decorated cricketers and highest Test runs scorer, is in Goa not only for the first time but to live a dream.
“Goa is a beautiful place. I have been to India for 10 years or so, but it is my first time in Goa and probably I will have times to wander around,” stated the England cricket great in a media interaction at a starred hotel recently.
But more importantly, Cook looks forward to dishing out strong performances with his technical finesse keeping up with Chris Gayle’s big shots as he pairs up with the West Indian at the top of the order in Maharashtra Tycoons campaign in the ongoing World Legends Pro T20 League 2026 in Verna.
“Sometimes in life you do things you never think you will do like opening the batting with the Universe Boss. I think it was on the cards for a very long time. I think it is good fun and he is still good. He is 46 and he is still playing,” Cook stated to The Goan recently.
Not naturally blessed as he claimed, it was his work ethic that took him to the higher echelons in the gentlemanly game. “For me, it was about making sure I covered my basics well. My basics about hitting a lot of the technique groove in the nets like half volley hitting. Also having a lot of defensive groove time to time. And to go along with that, you work on your fitness as much as you could. That much is what separated me from the other cricketers really. I am not much a talented cricketer but certainly worked hard,” he divulged.
Speaking on the Legends League, he believed that if the tournament keeps its integrity, it is here to stay. “There are a lot of very good players in this tournament. I particularly like the local Indian players. It is a great opportunity for them to play and they are probably the crucial ones who try to be very impressive in terms of keeping the standard and competition up. I think it has got to be competitive to be a good tournament,” Cook opined.
While the Chef as he is affectionately called would look to provide recipes of success alongside Gayle as his opening partner, Cook would not look beyond fish on the Goan menu to satiate his taste buds. “If you are close to the sea, there must be some good seafood. Most of the curries and seafood, I have been sticking to,” Cook revealed.
On England’s chances in the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that starts within a week in India and Sri Lanka, Cook felt that his team stood a good chance to win. “I think England have their bases covered. Hopefully when you come to the subcontinent it is about spin in that middle period to be able to take wickets and keep it tight. I think the England options against Sri Lanka is certainly there in the One Day game. They bowled the most amount of spin ever and I think the wickets allowed. I think they have got a lot of options covered,” Cook assessed.
“I think we all know in T20 cricket is all about getting on that roll early on. It is about getting all those performances done and getting a little bit of confidence because the game can change so quickly by fine margins. When you start winning those fine margins early as a group, I think it helps. There are many teams that can win this tournament,” Cook reasoned.
Sir Alastair Cook will look to put up a strong foundation along with Chris Gayle in their last league stage must-win fixture against Dubai Royals in the evening match on Monday, as Maharashtra Tycoons aim to seal the last berth for the play-offs.
