Despite IPL lure, Brook stays committed to English cricket

Bengaluru: In a match that saw five Indian batters notch up centuries to England’s two, the outcome might have seemed inevitable. But cricket, once again, defied the obvious. England emerged victorious in the first Test of the five-match series, taking a 1-0 lead. While India’s runs came from the top of the order, England’s were spread evenly, embodying the old adage of whole is being greater than the sum of its parts.

One of those crucial contributions came from Harry Brook, whose gritty, albeit chancy, 99 in the first innings stalled India from claiming a handy lead.

In a line-up of exciting English Test batters, Brook stands out for his calm demeanour and destructive prowess with the bat. He is 26, has eight Test hundreds -- including the second-fastest triple hundred behind Virender Sehwag -- and is widely believed as the leader of English cricket across formats. Well, he is already the skipper of their ODI team. On his part, Brook is ensuring he dedicates as much time to England as possible as he prioritises international cricket over a quick-money-making franchise cricket, where he is in high demand for obvious reasons.

Twice he has enrolled himself for IPL players' auction and both times he has pulled out. After the right-hander withdrew prior to the 18th edition despite being picked by Delhi Capitals for a handsome Rs 6.25 crore, Brook knew the financial implications of his decision; a two-year ban from the tournament. But he was firm in his conviction. Being an all-format player, he realised IPL moola was a price to pay for putting national commitments ahead.

"I'm loving it... I'm loving playing cricket for my country," said Brook when asked about the challenges of playing all three formats. "Obviously, there's things you have to turn down. For example, the IPL, I got picked up in that. I thought the best decision for my cricket, my physical being and my mental being, was to probably pull out of that and try and have that time off to rejuvenate and get ready for international cricket, which is where my head is at (the moment). I'm completely focused on playing as much international cricket as I can. Yeah, it's tough going from format to format, but that's part of professional sport. You've got to just crack on and try your best," he explained in an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network on Monday.

Though he doesn't rule out playing in IPL in the coming years, for now he is happy with his English duties.

"It was an incredibly difficult decision to make (pulling out of IPL)," he stressed. "I've enjoyed my experiences in the IPL. I think it's an amazing tournament. It's tough cricket. It's full of the best players in the world. Everybody's so enthusiastic for the game out there. The crowds are amazing. The atmosphere is amazing. You've got some of the best coaches around. And the tournament as a whole is the best tournament in the world in franchise terms. I'd love to play again in the future, but for the time being, I want to concentrate as much as I can on England cricket and play in as many games as I can for England."

While he decided to back out from IPL to focus on English cricket, the first time it was because of the passing of his grandmother -- who he holds dearly and whom he credits with the cricketer that he is today -- around the 2024 IPL.  

"She was a massive part of my career," Brook said when asked about her influence on him. "She took me up and down the country from a very young age when I started playing for Yorkshire at 11 years old. As you probably well know, she lived on my home cricket ground. There was no fence at the back, so her garden went onto the cricket pitch. There was nothing stopping us getting out onto the cricket field. I spent a lot of time there. I lived with her for many nights of the week. I spent a lot of time down there at the cricket club with her. Travelling the country, she'd drive me everywhere. She came to pretty much every game that I played in. She was there for my T20 debut in Barbados. She played a massive role in my career and helped me through all the way." 

(Watch 2nd Test between India & England on July 2nd, 3:30 PM onwards LIVE On Sony Sports)