Nasser Hussain, former England captain, contends that for success, Ben Stokes and the team must avoid complaining about the pitches during the five-match series in India. England is the most recent visiting team to secure a red-ball series victory in India, achieved by Alastair Cook’s leadership in a 2-1 win during a four-match series in 2012. However, their performances in India have generally been mediocre since then.
In their 2021 tour, England secured an uncommon series lead with a notable victory in Chennai. However, Team India swiftly rebounded, clinching three consecutive wins to close out the series triumphantly.
“It will be very important, too, for England not to have any sort of excuse culture. If it does spin big like it did last time — certainly after England won the first Test — it will be the same for both sides. There can be no muttering about it being unfair or not good for Test cricket,” Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.”
Whether England’s bold strategy will succeed on Indian rank turners has been a key question before the series. Nasser Hussain suggests there’s a valid argument for it, but he emphasizes that players with strong defensive techniques against spin should highly value their wicket and prioritize getting settled.
“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,” Hussain wrote.
England’s revamped approach has brought them considerable success, yet the conditions in India pose their most significant challenge. The team excelled on flat surfaces during their late 2022 tour of Pakistan, achieving a 3-0 whitewash.
“In case of substantial spin, I would choose Ben Foakes”- Naseer Hussain
Harry Brook’s emergence in red-ball cricket has complicated matters for Ben Foakes recently. Despite being acknowledged as the world’s best wicket-keeper by captain Stokes, Foakes spent the entire Ashes series in 2023 on the bench, as England opted for both Brook and Jonny Bairstow in the playing XI.
Foakes presents a stronger case in subcontinental conditions, having kept wickets on challenging pitches and contributed with valuable lower-order innings. With Harry Brook unavailable for the India tour due to personal reasons, there’s a high probability that Foakes will make a comeback to the playing XI.
“Stokes not being able to bowl makes it hard to balance the side, but if it does spin big, I’d play Ben Foakes, particularly now Brook is missing and England can fit in both Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow as specialist batters, because you need your best keeper when the ball is turning sharply,” Hussain opined.
The former captain also thought about England having an extra bowler and letting Bairstow continue as the wicketkeeper.
“The pitches are flatter than most are expecting, I would not rule out giving Bairstow the gloves and playing an extra bowler. Most of all, England should not go in with any pre-conceptions,” Hussain concluded.
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