Almost sat out of second ODI: Captain Cook

Southampton: Architect of England's win in the second ODI against India, captain Alastair Cook had thought of sitting out of the game after rain interruptions almost made it a Twenty20 game, a format in which he hasn't quite made a mark so far.

Cook's 63-ball 80 helped England comfortably chase down a stiff 188-run target in the 23-overs-a-side affair on Tuesday.
"That was mentioned (in the dressing room) but in one-day competition, you are not allowed to bring in new players. I am pleased with my form and it shows the kind of right work I am doing. There is still huge amount I can improve. Hopefully I can keep doing it," Cook said in the post-match press conference.
One batter in the England team who bats in a similar vein to Cook is Jonathan Trott, and the right-hander was left out of the playing eleven.
England are the world's best in the Twenty20 and Test format and their next obvious goal is to be at the top of the one-day cricket heap as well.
Indian batters have batted far more freely in one-day internationals than in Tests and Cook believed it's the format which suits their style.
"It's a different format. They have a licence to go out and bat. Indian players, I have always said, are very talented and skillful. Our job is to reduce their scoring as much as we can."
"(Suresh) Raina is very hard to bowl at death overs. But we hung in well and did a very good job on a good wicket."