Will to thrill trumps survival skill: Cook

England opener Alastair Cook believes modern-day batsmen are failing to develop a "survival method" as part of their skillset, leading to an inability to fight out draws in the fourth innings of Test matches.

Cook, an old-fashioned style batsman whose 11,000 Test runs have come more due to his phenomenal patience than any particular panache at the crease, says the influence of the shorter formats have changed Test cricket.

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"One thing certainly since I've started playing Test cricket, with the change of T20, young players aren't learning the survival method anymore," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.  

"Rather than looking at 380 as too many runs, (they think) 'No, we'll go and chase these down'."

The current England-South Africa series has highlighted Cook's point: in the series opener, South Africa were rolled for 119 chasing 331 to win, while England folded for 133 chasing 474 at Trent Bridge in the second Test.

"Things are happening, the game is changing – over 300 in the one-day game certainly is becoming chaseable; if you get 300 it's a bit of a par score," Cook explained.

"And that mentality is definitely coming into Test cricket.

"There are certain times where we as modern players have to be able to change (our approach) a bit more.

"(Instead of thinking) 'We're going to get the runs' it (should be) 'no we have to bat five sessions to draw the game'.

"I don't think it's technique … I think it's more the mindset, the mentality of it."

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Cook did offer a counterview by adding that such an aggressive approach could also have the opposite effect, with a big run chase achieved from time to time due to the occasional spectacular innings.

"I know it hasn't been done for a while," Cook said, "but I do think we are going to see more and more high chases in Test cricket."

The Englishman did forget a recent epic run chase by Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe earlier this month, as Dinesh Chandimal's side achieved a target of 388 at a healthy click of 3.4 runs per over.

It was the fifth-highest successful run chase of all time, while in 2015 Pakistan chased down 377 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, scoring at 3.7 runs per over.