Gautam Gambhir conceded that India hadn't played smart cricket in the Test series against England.
“We have just not been able to live up to expectations or the reputation we have,” he said. “We have not played good, smart cricket and we take responsibility as a team.”
Asked if problems of scheduling had cost the team, Gambhir said: “I can't answer it — BCCI decides (the scheduling). The only thing I can say is wherever we play, we give our 100 per cent. We do with whatever is left in our tanks.”
Gambhir said the batsmen hadn't been able to extend their starts. “Unfortunately, we haven't been able to convert those 30-40s into big runs, except (Rahul) Dravid. England, on the other hand, has batted well. Cook batted brilliantly and showed lot of patience, grit and determination.”
Cook, who made his 19th three-figure score (the second-most in Test history as a 27-year-old after Sachin Tendulkar's 22 at the same age), said he had plenty to improve on.
“We talk about trying to make ‘Daddy Hundreds', which is [a term from] from [Graham Gooch] Goochie and he doesn't really count anything under 150,” said Cook. “You have a work ethic in our batters over the last couple of years since Goochie came on board. Since then results have gone through the roof but we have to keep our feet on the ground. We want to improve all the time.”
