Monday 18 August 2014 10:21, UK
Alastair Cook has revealed his wife Alice helped convinced him not to resign as England captain earlier this summer.
Following England’s fifth Test win against India at the Oval on Sunday, Cook admitted he considered stepping down after the series defeat by Sri Lanka earlier this summer - but is now focused on continuing as captain.
"It was the support I had from my wife," Cook told Sky Sports, when asked what had persuaded him against quitting.
"You can bare your soul to Alice and she's very good at getting you back on the straight and narrow."
Cook pinpointed the loss to Sri Lanka, with just two balls to spare, in the second Test at Headingley as a particular low point.
"That was a tough night," he said. "We'd let a winning position slip. The defeat by India at Lord's was tough too.
"But I'm quite stubborn, I believe in my ability and I'm a resilient guy - that was when I needed it most.
"I'm glad I stuck though the tough times, that is what sport is about - it tests your character. To bounce back as a team is a testament to our character too.
"I don't play this game to prove people right or wrong, I do it to try and win games of cricket for England.
"I'm here because I'm passionate about English cricket and believe I am the right man to take this team forward."
He is a special bloke who is often underestimated and this win shows there is more to him than people think.
After seeing his bowlers bundle India out for just 94 to win by an innings and 244 runs at the Oval, Cook was quick to divert the praise on to his team-mates.
He added: "(It was) An amazing turnaround. After Lord's to have won like we've won the last three games, the guys can take a huge amount of credit. Obviously the coaching staff Peter Moores and Paul Farbrace, they’ve made a massive difference.
"All summer before we won at Southampton we played cricket in patches. We played good cricket and then let it go in an hour or so. To maintain the pressure on India like we did in these three games, that last hour here showed that – they (India) crumbled at the end but that was down to relentless pressure."
Cook also thanked his team-mates for standing by him after a run of 10 Tests without victory had prompted calls for him to step down as captain.
He added: "It's great to have the support of the guys throughout the tough times and it makes it all worthwhile now.
"When you score runs with our bowling attack, in these conditions, you make yourselves hard to beat."
Cook was keen to let his players bask in the glory of their latest win before thinking about their next Test assignment in the Caribbean in April.
"It is a shame," he said of the lack of imminent Test action. "They'll be very different conditions in West Indies. But I don't think we can worry about that.
"We've played a lot of Test cricket recently and we'll have a lot after when we start again in West Indies.
"We've got to enjoy it and then look at the difference between how we've gone from not playing good cricket to playing as good cricket as we have the last three games, and as soon as we get back into this mode trying to start there again."
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni acknowledged his team had fallen way short of the mark with the bat.
"I think today's batting was reflective of a batting order that has lost a lot of confidence over a period of time," he said at the post-match ceremony.
He added: "Many youngsters have not played over here. Also not many have played Test cricket outside the sub-continent. It's a very important moment for them. They'll learn and in coming years when they come back they'll be much better."
