India v England: Alastair Cook is a natural opener who loves batting - just like me Well, England have sat there watching Cook bat for most of the last couple of years. He knows his own game and he keeps it very simple. He plays in safe areas. He doesn't try to be too expansive early on. It is a case of limiting himself, although he is not a limited player. He's clever and makes it difficult for the bowlers to bowl him out. He doesn't give them chances because he sticks to his game plan until he gets in. Then, when he has a few runs, and is in the comfort zone, he expands his repertoire. I felt fine about him going past my record. They are there to be broken. When I got up there with Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond or passed Len Hutton I didn't think it made me a better player than them. Facts and figures don't tell you everything. They don't tell you the quality of the opposition, the type of surfaces or what laws the game was played under. Statistics give you a yardstick as to how good you were in your era against contemporary players. Anyone can make stats say anything. Politicians do it all the time: that's why we don't trust them. You can only judge Alastair alongside modern-day players and I would put him in the top five with Michael Clarke, Hashim Alma, Jacques Kallis and Pietersen. By the time he finishes his career there is every chance Cook will have scored more runs and hundreds than the lot of them. He could finish second only behind Sachin Tendulkar. England play about 14 Test matches a year. Cook is just approaching his peak as a player and could play in another 100 Tests. If he carries on and scores one century in every four Tests then he will be pushing Tendulkar. Of course there could be little injuries along the way and losses of form. We have seen in the past how when his technique slips a little bit he gets in a mess. He struggled in 2010 and it was touch and go whether they would pick him for the Oval Test against Pakistan. He scored a century in that game and has not looked back since. Being captain lifts you. It is your team and you want to play well and win. You are up for the challenge. In recent times Ricky Ponting, Clarke and Graeme Smith have played out of their skin when they became captain and Cook is doing the same. Cook has got it. Don't make mistakes, don't get out of your comfort zone and there will be only one winner.