England on Tuesday became the first side to chase down 250+ scores in four consecutive matches in Test cricket when they successfully chased down 378 runs, their highest target in the format, to beat India by seven wickets at Edgbaston and leveled the series 2–2 for the Pataudi Trophy.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain was puzzled by how the hosts’ new, aggressive approach marked his transition to Test cricket, saying winning four in a row is “incredible”, while second-innings centuries Joe Root And there’s a lot of praise for Jonny Bairstow. His unbroken stand of 269 runs gave England victory.
“This win over India was remarkable. It’s remarkable to do it once, it’s incredible to do it on the hoop four times, it really is. The form Jonny Bairstow and Root are in – I don’t remember a pair of England cricketers having been in that form for so long. I’ll be completely honest, it’s not really buzzball. The way they are playing is what normal Root and Bairstow can do,” Hussain said after the match.
IND vs ENG 5th Test Day 5 Highlights
“They’re not reckless, not stupid — have you seen any of them play a shot this summer where you think, ‘What have they done for this?’ Every time they’ve taken a risk, they’ve capitalized on it. They’ve become so smart, so smart. You can’t bowl to them both at the moment. How good they are. England have been excellent and more importantly It’s that the crowd has looked at this style of cricket and said ‘I’m buying into this, it’s amazing’, said Hussain, who played 96 Tests for England.
Hossain also had words of praise for the transformative impact the new captain Ben Stokes has had on the England Test side. “I don’t know of an England cricket captain who has made an early impact on our Test team than Stokes. The first time I saw him come into this England team, I thought he was a smart cricketer. There are talented cricketers who go out there and do that and then there are smart cricketers. ,
“Very rarely do you find a talented, smart cricketer – but that’s what Stokes is. You see World Headingley in the Cup Final or 2019. He thinks his way through any situation, so when I was asked who should take on Joe Root as England captain, there was only one candidate. ,
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Hussain further elaborated on how Stokes has been a standout as a Test captain. “(His early success) shows you that a player should not be judged by those who have gone before. All I had heard was ‘it doesn’t work for all-rounders in the form of England captain, Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff etc’. He’s not Botham or Flintoff, he’s Ben Stokes.
“I’ve been impressed by some of the tactics and how he handled spinner Jack Leach, some subtle tactics a viewer might not see on their TV screen. For example, he had mid-off and mid for James Anderson and Stuart Broad. -On so straight and a cover, but not cover-point, telling them ‘You’re going to pitch the ball because we’re looking for wickets’.”
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