'England not to be messed with': Nasser Hussain's 'wake-up call' for India after Stokes and Co. stun hosts in 1st Test
Nasser Hussain feels India's defeat to England in the 1st Test is a wake-up call for Rohit Sharma's men.
From England's Bazball approach to hosts preparing turning pitches, Nasser Hussain didn't mince words in the lead-up to India's Test series opener against England. Hussain wanted uncapped spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir to show their worth on Indian pitches against Rohit Sharma's men. Labelling India as favourites, the former England skipper also warned the hosts that Ben Stokes and Co. have stuck to their guns since the inception of Bazball.
On Sunday, premier batter Ollie Pope punched above his weight and debutant Tom Hartley made amends in his first game with a game-changing 2nd innings spell. Out for one off 11 balls, Pope ended up playing a record-setting knock of 196 against India in the 2nd innings. His teammate Hartley architected India's 2nd innings collapse with a dream seven-wicket haul. Hussain-backed England promoted Bazball in Hyderabad to emerge as the winners of the 1st Test.
'England not to be messed with'
Penning his thoughts for Sky Sports, Hussain lauded the performance of the visitors after England registered a 1-0 lead over India in the five-match series. "What I like about them is their stubbornness. If you doubt them, they'll double down on it and go even more stubborn. I think that is a good thing because if you're constantly listening to all the noise, all that's written and said, you flicker from one theory to another. The present regime know what they want. They're going to stick with that and even when they're behind, they will back the cricketers to turn it around. They have shown they are a side not to be messed with," Hussain wrote in his column.
'Bazball can work in India'
"India will probably rue their first innings. They got 436 but actually they could have got a lot more if not for some sloppy dismissals. They will come back. They are a very fine side and history tells you it will be tough for England here. But it is a wake-up call for India as England have shown Bazball can work in these conditions," Hussain added.
Asked to chase down a 231-run target on the penultimate day of the 1st Test, Rohit and Co. folded for 202 to lose the 1st Test by 28 runs. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid admitted that Pope's counterattack paved the way for England to stun India in the opening Test. Pope was also named the Player of the Match for his outstanding knock. With India set to meet England for the 2nd Test Visakhapatnam on Friday, Hussain has opined that India will bounce back in the upcoming encounter.
Can India bounce back?
"India will probably rue their first innings. They got 436 but actually they could have got a lot more if not for some sloppy dismissals. They will come back. They are a very fine side and history tells you it will be tough for England here. But it is a wake-up call for India as England have shown Bazball can work in these conditions," Hussain added.
