The Tendulkar-Cook debate: Could Alastair Cook break Tendulkar's record?

2006, Nagpur, the Britishers touring India for a Test series. Under the leadership of Andrew Flintoff, England looked like a balanced competent side albeit the focus was on southpaw Alastair Cook who had made his way through the ranks. Cook was known to be a player who could tackle spin and tackling Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh was the need of the hour in the Indian conditions.

On his debut, Cook displayed class, eventually, he went on to do it for the next 12 years. His exquisite timing spoke of his talent but his technique was questioned. With only two major shots in his armoury, Cook marched on. He played the cut shot on the wide short ball and played the flick shot when the ball was bowled on the pads, his pull shots brought occasional delight to the eyes.

Years went by, spin, pace, he tackled all. From starting his career against Irfan Pathan to facing a rough patch against Mitchell Johnson, Cook encountered it all. In 2011, Cook was at the peak of his career, comparisons began, he can come close to the great Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar's formed dipped in his final few Tests, the southpaw from England kept scoring at an impressive average.

The 2013/14 Ashes series in Australia was Cook's toughest phase. With Mitchell Johnson spitting fire and creating havoc, the England batsmen struggled. Some were moved, both, physically and mentally. England's batting line-up was often bundled out like a pack of cards courtesy Johnson's 37 wickets in the five-match series. Despite this havoc and horrendous form, Cook managed to score three fifties in the series.

The Chef continued on his merry way till the current series. Cook entered into the series as England's most dependable bet after their skipper Joe Root. The smiling assassin's face turned into a teary-eyed one as he suddenly announced his retirement. Owing to his disastrous form, Cook decided to call it a day. The fifth Test at the Kennington Oval will be Cook's final Test.

The Cut, The Flick, The Pull, The Drive, Cook!

Coming to the point, the main question, if not for his retirement, could Cook surpass Sachin Tendulkar?

Stats Corner - Cook v Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar scored 15921 runs in his Test career. Alastair Cook is 3667 runs away from Tendulkar's mark. How much time would Cook take to score nearly 3650 runs? According to his career average of 45, Cook would take 81 innings to score 3668 runs to surpass Tendulkar's tally of runs. On an average, the English side plays 12 Tests a year thus giving Cook 24 innings(considering two innings per game) in a year.

According to these rough calculations it would have taken Cook three and a half years to surpass Tendulkar's tally. At the age of 37, Cook would've overtaken Tendulkar. His best year in Test cricket was 2015 where he scored 1364 runs. With this average of 54.56, Cook would've achieved the milestone 67 innings.

Cook's average in 2018 is 18.63. With this average, it would've taken Cook 196 innings to surpass Tendulkar. His horrendous dipping form is the reason behind his retirement and with this form, it would've been impossible for the opener to surpass the Indian great.

Now, let's consider the average of 33.93, Cook's average in 2013 when he was in decent touch. With this average, it would've taken Cook 108 innings to go past the tally of 15921. Statistically, Cook would've surpassed Tendulkar's tally by the age of 36 or 37. Practically, with deteriorating form, Cook would've stood no chance to go past Tendulkar.

The hectic cricket schedules will have an effect on the career duration. A Test cricketer of the next generation would hardly get a chance to play 100-120 Test matches. It will be a mammoth task to go past Sachin Tendulkar in the near future. Cook's untimely retirement settled down the debate which was sparked for years and years, and now the bottom line, Cook could've but Cook could not.