Cook takes England closer to crowing glory

Alastair Cook, a career best 294 provided the platform Edgbaston England beat India and replace the tourists to the world's best Test side. Cook, dominating the LED from England a massive first innings total of 710 seven declared on the third day of the third test on Friday. 

It was Britain's best tests of 73 years, and the third-highest all-time behind the 903 seven declared the Oval against Australia in 1938 and 849 against West Indies in Kingston in 1930. English day, then even better, when India lost Virender Sehwag in his second first ball of any battle, reminded the perfect opener, "King and Queen", when he edged James Anderson to evict home skipper Andrew Strauss at first slip. 

India was one of 35 at stumps - still 451 more runs just to make England bat again. Fit-again opener Gautam Gambhir was 14 not out, and veteran Rahul Dravid 34 not out. It all left England a great location to go to an unbeatable 3-0 up in this four-match series and victory assured, would see them replaced by India on the ICC Test Championship table. 

Cook's marathon innings of 12 hours 47 minutes, just half an hour short of the United Kingdom record set by Len Hutton, making 364 against Australia, the Oval in 1938, saw his face 545 balls 33 boundaries. Remarkably, Cook had made only 20 works in four previous innings in this series. English 456 will continue on Friday, three in response to India's 224 Cook was 182 not out and Eoin Morgan fell two easy opportunities on Thursday, 44 not out. 

Cook legside clips Shathakumaran two fast bowler Sreesanth took the 26-year-old in his second test double century. Essex's Cook, 206 not out for lunch, ran a leg-spinner Amit Mishra to cross through the covers three of his previous test best of 235 against Australia in Brisbane, not in November. 

Morgan's single off Mishra then made him the second test one hundred 188 balls 10 fours, when the former Irish national team player is 130 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge last year. 

But Morgan, fell soon after the year 104, he drove loosely and is kind of spin and Suresh Raina took cover by Sehwag. Exit at the end of his fourth wicket stand 222 other left-handed Cook. But Cook, who went to the ball 137 between the boundaries on Friday, nails so that you can send 250 England had a massive 646 for six at tea leaves, with Cook not out 266 and Tim Bresnan 19 not out. India took the second new ball soon after, but Cook said three fours and six balls. 

In the meantime, Bresnan, follow-up of his 90 England 319-run second Test win on Trent Bridge, took England past 700, and into the 72-ball fifty, with a magnificent six over long-off paceman Ishant Sharma. 

But Cook has six short of the sixth to become an English Test score triple hundred, and the first since Graham Gooch in his doctrine achieved feat against India, Lord's in 1990, was when he flat-batted Sharma, deep to the point where Raina held very carefully closed. 

Bresnan was 53 not out. Three Indian bowlers - Sreesanth, Sharma and Mishra - all admitted at least 150 runs each. Strauss, Cook was immediately declared out, leaving India 12 transfers can be difficult to close - but Sehwag could not even survive the ball.