England called up wicketkeeper Jos Buttler on Tuesday as cover for the first Test against India after Matt Prior reported feeling tightness in his right thigh.
The 32-year-old Prior began feeling tightness in the leg on Monday, but England captain Alastair Cook believes he will be able to play when the first test against India begins on Wednesday in Nottingham.
“We are 99 percent certain he will be fine,” Cook said. “You have a little check in the morning just to make sure, but all looks good at the moment.”
Regarding his own form, Cook acknowledges that he must improve his contributions with the bat. His last century for England came in May 2013 against New Zealand.
“I just need to go back to scoring runs,” Cook said, while denying the captaincy is to blame for his downturn in form.
“I can honestly say that it has never crossed my mind, when someone is running in at mid—80s to 90 miles per hour, I’m thinking about what field placings I’m going to set for someone else,” he said.
Cook also claimed he is not worried about losing the captaincy should he fail to score runs across the five tests against India.
“I’m not in charge of making decisions like that,” he said. “It’s a huge honour to do this and I can go to sleep knowing I’ve thrown everything I’ve got into it.”
England have to decide whether to reintroduce all-rounder Ben Stokes, who is returning from a wrist injury after punching a locker, back into the starting line-up. Cook feels it is one of the better problems he has at the moment.
“It is a tough selection call, and it is what you want as a captain,” he said. “In Australia, he was the standout player. Then you’ve got other people who have done well in his absence. Whoever does play will be desperately keen to keep their place and that can only be healthy competition.”
India captain MS Dhoni, meanwhile, says he is not concerned by the fact his side has not won any of its last 14 away test matches.
“What is important for us is to take the team forward,” Dhoni said. “(We need) to give the team guidance. The more games they play, the more they improve. It is a constant process.”
The last time India traveled to England for a test series, it was whitewashed 4—0. England then won the return series in India 2—1, but since then, the English have fallen from the summit of international cricket.
Still, Dhoni is still expecting a challenging series.
“When it comes to international cricket, there comes a phase where every team does really well, and there comes a phase where they won’t do too much,” he said.
