Cricket News
‘It’s crucial for England to avoid making excuses..’ – Nasser Hussain’s audacious claim for England side ahead of Test series vs India
Former legendary England cricketer Nasser Hussain makes an audacious claim for his side ahead of five matches of the Test series against India, which are set to start on January 25 in Hyderabad. Notably, the well-renowned cricket commentator says that the Ben Stokes-led England side should not make excuses about spinning pitch conditions in India in the upcoming Test series.
Nasser Hussain emphasised how England won the Test back in 2012 in Indian soil conditions. In addition, the 55-year-old cricketer advised the England team not to make excuses in the Test series and told them to focus on winning rather than calling for unfair or spin-friendly conditions.
“It’s crucial for England to avoid making excuses. It will be very important, too, for England not to have any sort of excuse culture. If the ball spins big, just like it did in the past, especially after England’s initial Test victory—it’s a level playing field for both teams. No complaints about it being unfair or not good to Test cricket should arise,” Nasser Hussain said being quoted by India today.
Back yourself to put the bowlers under pressure but make sure you survive that first half an hour: Nasser Hussain
Meanwhile, the former batting legend feels Ben Stokes and Joe Root are great players against spinners, so they should look to attack the Indian spinners to win the Test series against Rohit Sharma and Co. Moreover, the Chennai-born cricketer revealed tactics and pragmatic skills to face Team India in the upcoming five matches of the Test series.
“Stokes and Root, in particular, have a really good defensive technique against spin so they should not be so keen to attack that they become reckless. Yes, back yourself to put the bowlers under pressure but make sure you survive that first half an hour. I’d play Ben Foakes particularly now Brook is missing and England can fit in both Ollie Pope and Johnny Bairstow as specialist batters,” he added further.