Birmingham, Aug 13: Andrew Strauss was a visibly happy man as England displaced India from the No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings after taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the ongoing four-match series between the two sides. The England skipper spoke to Michael Atherton in the post-match presentation after defeating the visitors by a margin of an innings and 242 runs in the third Test.

Excerpts from the interview:

On whether his gamble of bowling first after winning the toss was founded on his confidence in the attack

[It was a] massive gamble. But I think we have done well while bowling first recently. We knew there was something in the wicket. There was a little bit less when we fielded, actually. It was quite important that we make use of what was there. The bowlers did a great job on that first morning and then by the time we were batting in the afternoon, the wicket was pretty flat. So we knew that [if] we batted well there was a chance that we could go ahead in the game.

On whether it would have been a different situation had one more wicket gone down before lunch that day

Definitely, it just goes to show that […] there is a lot of relentless pressure from our bowlers. It’s not just in this game but the pressure they have applied in previous games as well. It’s a great credit to our bowling unit. I don’t think there are many [great attacks] in the world now; they are very confident and they are getting their rewards.

On getting runs himself

[I was] disappointed to not get a hundred but you always want to feel like you are contributing as a captain. It has been a frustrating summer for me. It’s fantastic to get those runs and then sit and watch Cooky [Alastair Cook] bat for two days.

On Alastair Cook

Amazing determination and concentration and just the fact that he doesn’t up his tempo; he just plays the same way [through the game]. The really great players, the guys who get really big scores, do that. He is at the patch at the moment where he is very clear where his game is and he is a great example to us all. [if] you stay in your bubble there is nothing you can’t achieve.

On becoming the No. 1 Test side

It’s been a goal of ours for a long time now. For a long time it looked like it was going to be a difficult thing for us to attain. [It is a] great testament to everyone involved in the England set-up; not just the players but the management and support staff. And it gives me a lot of pride to stand up here and know that we have achieved something special.

On the journey from being No. 6, when he took over, to the top spot

It couldn’t really get any worse from there. We have worked very hard and we haven’t rested on our laurels in the last couple of years. The guys have done a lot of hard [work] and they have got what they deserved.

On comparisons with the Ashes win

Going to [the] No. 1 [position] is the reward of consistency over a long time and that’s not necessarily [been the] strength of English cricket, so we should be very proud of what we have achieved. A lot of guys have had to stick their hands up over a long period of time. The guys are understandably very proud of what they have done and we are going to look forward [to keeping it]. But just for today, we are really going to enjoy.

On milestones along the way to the No. 1 position

There are so many guys that have come in and performed well. Winning the Ashes in 2009, after having lost in the West Indies, gave us confidence that we can win against anyone and from then on [we] increasingly started getting big scores. Someone like Graeme Swann came in and made a massive impact and our bowling unit got stronger and stronger; so there have been a lot of individual performances. No one would argue that above all it has been a great testament to our team and work ethic to not rely on one or two individuals, which gives me a lot of hope that we can get better and better.

On whether the aim was to be dominant over a long period of time

Yes, we want to win every Test series we play. We won this one and hopefully we can win the last Test match.