Cook, who thought of stepping aside in India vs England match, happy with his performance

Southampton (UK), Sept 7(ANI): Alastair Cook, who had thought about stepping aside for the match against India proved his mettle in an event reduced to almost 23 overs a side.

Cook said he did give passing thought to dropping himself from the match when it was reduced to 23 overs each side, The Telegraph reports.

"We talked about it. But when we're in a one-day competition you're not allowed to bring new players in for Twenty20. You have to adapt, so I captained," Cook said.

Cook's unbeaten 80 runs off 63 balls, was crucial in helping England edge past India at the Rose Bowl.

It is England's sixth successive victory in all completed matches against touring teams this summer. ngland now leads India by 1-0, with three NatWest Series matches remaining to be played.

Cook set up a formidable partnership of 67 runs in under seven overs with Craig Kieswetter, and then maintained momentum, thus silencing his critics.

"It shows all the work I'm doing is the right work. There's still a huge amount I can improve on and stay on that upward curve. I'm just desperate to keep improving, so I can do that more often in the one-day side."

Indian captain, MS Dhoni said though the team batted well, bowling was a matter of concern.

"We batted well to put 180-plus on the board. But the first powerplay was crucial - they got 60-odd runs and 100 from 10 overs and then they didn't need to take any risks", Dhoni said.

"We have been able to put runs on the board in the ODI series, which is a positive for us, but a bit of improvement is needed in the bowling department", he added.(ANI)