England's Cook backs Rashid to handle pressure of India Test

(AFP) - Former captain Alastair Cook says leg-spinner Adil Rashid is mature enough to handle the pressure following his controversial recall to the England squad for this week s first Test against India.

Rashid was included in a 13-man squad for the Edgbaston game even though he has opted out of playing first-class County Championship cricket for Yorkshire this season.

Michael Vaughan, another ex-England skipper, described the decision as a "stab in the back" for the county game while Yorkshire were unhappy with the move.

Asked if Rashid, 30, may find it difficult to give his best in England s 1,000th Test, which starts on Wednesday, Cook said: "I think probably in the past he would have.

"(But) over the last 18 months I think he s matured as a cricketer and improved since we last saw him in an England Test shirt.

"I think he ll be fine. Clearly he s going to be nervous but I genuinely think he will cope -- he s bowling brilliantly."

Cook voiced his sympathy for Rashid, who has had to deal with the fallout following his selection rather than being allowed to celebrate his first call-up since the last of his 10 Test caps in December 2016.

"I can understand why it s caused a bit of fuss," he said. "But you just have to get on with it and I think we should be concentrating on the positives rather than the negatives.

"We ve got a different style of English spinner with a little bit of mystery to him, who s bowling really well."

Cook does not believe a significant precedent has been set to clear the way for what would be Rashid s first Test on home soil if he makes the team on Wednesday.

"I don t think it will happen very many times again," he said. "Obviously, (national selector) Ed (Smith) said you need to be playing red-ball cricket (to be selected in future) and I think that s right.

"But sometimes in exceptional circumstances, selection goes a different way than you would like -- and obviously Ed and the selectors have made a brave call."