Kolkata, Dec 6: Making a Test debut in India is supposed to be baptism by fire for a batsman from the Western world. But Nick Compton has been fortunate to have an opening partner who has an icy cool head over his shoulders to douse that fire.
Compton, who scored his maiden Test half-century at the Eden Gardens on Day 2 of the third Test, credited Alastair Cook for making his job easier at the other end. He likened the experience of batting with the England captain with that of batting with his Somerset mate, Marcus Trescothick.
“To bat with Cook is, in some ways, very similar to batting with Marcus Trescothic back at Somerset,” Compton said at the end of a very productive day for England that saw them post a score of 216 for one. “They’re clearly different players but both are clinical in the way they deal with every delivery – they play all the balls in a similar fashion, you know what is coming next, the forward defence, the sweep – and to do that time and again is the mark of a serious batsman.
“That makes things very clear for me batting at the other end. There’s a lot of clarity. I feel like I’ve got a really good bond with Cookie. There’s not much said in the middle. Between balls, there’s a little look and a nod and we’re both in it together. At times, when I sought his opinion, he’s been very upfront. To have someone as chilled out at the other end as him makes things easy for me,” Compton said.
Cook has been a class apart from the rest of the pack this series with three Test centuries in as many matches so far. His unbeaten 136 in Kolkata has made him the highest century-scorer for England in Tests with 23 tons. He also became the youngest Test batsmen to get past 7,000 runs. Compton admired his longevity and skills.
“Standing on the ground and looking up to see that 7,000 run-stat was quite an amazing moment. I thought, here I am batting with this guy, who’s got another hundred and is now the all-time leading century scorer in Tests for England. It speaks volumes about him. The fact that he has managed to get here at such a young age is outstanding. A lot of players only find their feet at 28 or 29. But he has been doing it for such long period of time.”
At 216 for one at stumps, England are now just a 100 runs short of levelling India’s 316. Compton revelled in what was a perfect day at the office.
“As a team we’re very satisfied. We spoke about building partnerships and that’s something we managed to do quite well today. It’s a good way to grind them down – the longer you spend at the crease, the easier it gets,’ said Compton, who put up an opening stand of 165 runs with Cook.
Compton scored 57 runs and while he was glad to score his maiden Test fifty, he rued not being able to build on it.
“In the beginning of my Test career, I wanted to give myself the best opportunity and I feel like I’ve done that in patches. I haven’t managed to go and get a big score and today I probably missed out again. But I was really keen to try and get a score and I’m glad that I got something relatively substantial.
“On the whole, I just tried to take my own score out of the equation and look at the team’s score. To see that we’re none down with a substantial score on the board and seeing their bowlers being ground down gives me a lot of confidence,” he said.
