You only had to look at the difference in Alastair Cook’s reaction at the end of this Test and at the end of the Lord’s game to realise how much winning Test matches for England matters to him. This win, and the fact he got runs, will be a massive weight off Cook’s shoulders. It is impossible to understand the pressure you are under as England captain unless you have been there. When things are not going well you feel as if everyone is against you and, while it might be possible to escape the limelight between matches, you still have to do the day-to-day things and you feel as if you’re letting people down. Cheshire grin: Alastair Cook cut a far happier figure after England defeated India in the third Test . They think it's all over... Alastair Cook and Jos Buttler (R) celebrate after victory is confirmed . You feel like people are looking at you and talking about your captaincy or how badly you’re batting. Not contributing to the team is the thing that hurts the most as  captain. It was when I went through some of my darkest moments — walking down a hotel corridor in Sri Lanka,  knocking on Michael Atherton’s door and asking if I should stay on as captain. It’s a horrible place to be. As captain it’s very rare that you are scoring runs personally and the team is winning. That means there is almost always a downside after a match and that is why Cook should relish this moment, because he’s had the double whammy of losing games and not getting runs. Keep calm and carry on: When Alistair Cook is batting well the the rest will follow . In a spin: Moeen Ali inspired England to victory by unexpectedly taking six wickets . VIDEO My best day - Moeen . We are all human and want to be liked, so the reception he got when he was batting will have given Alastair an enormous confidence boost. It is abundantly clear the England cricketing public want him to succeed. I am still of the view that the most important thing for England is Cook the batsman. A lot of things will fall into place, including maybe his  captaincy, if Cook is getting runs. It was a brave decision for him to have a bat on a pitch with a little bit of grass on it here. But it was the right decision and he went in with a clear mind and deserved the luck he got at the start of his innings. Patriot games: The victory at the Aegeas Bowl obviously meant a lot to England's captain . When Cook is batting, everything is calm and comfortable. It is the most important thing for  England and it transfers into his captaincy. I thought he had an excellent game as captain. Virtually every move he made paid off and tactically he was very good. He learned from mistakes and set some very good fields. The way he used Moeen Ali showed he is building trust and that is paying off. The fundamental point, though, is that the England team will be better off when he is scoring runs consistently, not sporadically, and the management must decide if he can be that batsman while he is captain or whether at some point someone else has to do that.
England defeated India in the third Test to level the Series .
Alastair Cook answered his critics after a week of scrutiny .
If England's captain is scoring runs then the rest of his game follows .
You only had to look at the difference in Alastair Cook’s reaction at the end of this Test and at the end of the Lord’s game to realise how much winning Test matches for England matters to him. This win, and the fact he got runs, will be a massive weight off Cook’s shoulders. It is impossible to understand the pressure you are under as England captain unless you have been there. When things are not going well you feel as if everyone is against you and, while it might be possible to escape the limelight between matches, you still have to do the day-to-day things and you feel as if you’re letting people down. Cheshire grin: Alastair Cook cut a far happier figure after England defeated India in the third Test . They think it's all over... Alastair Cook and Jos Buttler (R) celebrate after victory is confirmed . You feel like people are looking at you and talking about your captaincy or how badly you’re batting. Not contributing to the team is the thing that hurts the most as  captain. It was when I went through some of my darkest moments — walking down a hotel corridor in Sri Lanka, knocking on Michael Atherton’s door and asking if I should stay on as captain. It’s a horrible place to be. As captain it’s very rare that you are scoring runs personally and the team is winning. That means there is almost always a downside after a match and that is why Cook should relish this moment, because he’s had the double whammy of losing games and not getting runs. Keep calm and carry on: When Alistair Cook is batting well the the rest will follow . In a spin: Moeen Ali inspired England to victory by unexpectedly taking six wickets . VIDEO My best day - Moeen . We are all human and want to be liked, so the reception he got when he was batting will have given Alastair an enormous confidence boost. It is abundantly clear the England cricketing public want him to succeed. I am still of the view that the most important thing for England is Cook the batsman. A lot of things will fall into place, including maybe his captaincy, if Cook is getting runs. It was a brave decision for him to have a bat on a pitch with a little bit of grass on it here. But it was the right decision and he went in with a clear mind and deserved the luck he got at the start of his innings. Patriot games: The victory at the Aegeas Bowl obviously meant a lot to England's captain . When Cook is batting, everything is calm and comfortable. It is the most important thing for  England and it transfers into his captaincy. I thought he had an excellent game as captain. Virtually every move he made paid off and tactically he was very good. He learned from mistakes and set some very good fields. The way he used Moeen Ali showed he is building trust and that is paying off. The fundamental point, though, is that the England team will be better off when he is scoring runs consistently, not sporadically, and the management must decide if he can be that batsman while he is captain or whether at some point someone else has to do that.
figure after England defeated India in the third Test . They think it's all over... Alastair Cook Aegeas Bowl obviously meant a lot to England's off when he is scoring runs consistently, not