Cook is master chef with his superb fare
Alastair Cook marked his final England innings with a storybook century before James Anderson became the joint most successful fast bowler in Test history by sparking an India collapse at the Oval on Monday.
Cook made 147 and Joe Root, his successor as England captain, 125 as the hosts piled up 423/8 declared in their second innings of the fifth Test.
Anderson then had both Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara plumb lbw as India, needing 464 for an unlikely win, slumped to 1/2 in reply.
That double strike meant Anderson had equalled Australian Glenn McGrath’s mark for the most Test wickets taken by any fast bowler of 563.
India captain Virat Kohli, a thorn in England’s side with 593 runs this series, was then caught behind for a golden duck off Stuart Broad to leave the tourists reeling.
At stumps, India – already 3-1 down in this five-match series – were heading for defeat at 58/3, despite Kannaur Lokesh Rahul’s gutsy 46 not out, with no side having made more in the fourth innings to win a Test than the West Indies’ 418/7 against Australia at St John’s, Antigua in 2002/03.
The day belonged to the 33year-old Cook, who is retiring from international cricket after this match.
The Essex left-handed opener, who made 104 not out on debut against India at Nagpur in 2006, became just the fifth player to score a hundred in both their first and last Tests.
England resumed on 114/2, 154 runs ahead, with Cook 43 not out and Root unbeaten on 29.
A capacity crowd, willing Cook to score a hundred following his first-innings 71, gave him the first of several standing ovations as he walked out to bat on a sunny morning.
And he soon had another when Cook, from his second ball of the bay, turned fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah legside for four to go to fifty.
Cook completed his 33rd Test century in unusual fashion when, having run a single to go to 97, a wild overthrow from Bumrah gave him four bonus runs.
The day’s play ended with Cook fielding the ball at short leg, prompting yet more cheers and another ovation as he led England off the field.