Former England captain Nasser Hussain fueled the debate about the upcoming five-match test series by warning the Rohit Sharma-led team against generating out-and-out spin surfaces. Ben Stokes-led side will focus on the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket as they will look to upset the high-quality Indian side.
India and England will play one of the most significant series of the year, starting on January 25 in Hyderabad, as the Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes-led sides square off in a high-octane five-match Test series critical to both teams’ ambitions of reaching the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Nasser Hussain has urged the Indian squad against producing rank turners against the ‘Bazball’ brand of cricket, suggesting that the host team will be better at building lovely and fair pitches.
“I think what India should do is ask for good pitches that spin a bit because I think their spinners and batters will then out-bat and out-spin ours. If they ask for pitches that spin a lot, then it becomes a bit of a lottery and brings England’s spinners into the game. The way Bazball goes about its business, they would not die wondering,” Nasser Hussain said.
England’s previous two trips to India were disastrous, with the squad losing a five-match series 4-0 in 2016. In 2021, they got off to a good start by defeating India in the first game of the series but then lost the following three. There has been some question about Bazball’s efficiency in Indian circumstances, as it may not be as easy to bat as it is in England.
Team India boasts an almost invincible home record in red-ball cricket, having not lost a series in over 11 years. The Men In Blue’s most recent series defeat on home soil came in 2012 against England, who were captained by Alaister Cook.
Cricket fans are eager to see if England’s “Bazball” style, led by Ben Stokes, would succeed in spinning wickets in India. Aside from their captain, the visitors have numerous experienced match-winners in their ranks, including experienced Joe Root and James Anderson. Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, and Zak Crawley will also be looking to make an impression on the team in the unfamiliar conditions.
