England's 'Bazball' triumph in Hyderabad Test serves as wake-up call for India, says Nasser Hussain

By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jan 29, 2024, 11:38 AM IST

Nasser Hussain analyzes England's Bazball strategy and India's performance in the Hyderabad Test, emphasizing Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley's pivotal roles.

Former captain Nasser Hussain suggests that India should heed the wake-up call from their loss in the Hyderabad Test, recognizing the effectiveness of England's 'Bazball' strategy even on slow tracks. Embracing Bazball, England has remained undefeated in Test series, culminating in a remarkable 28-run victory propelled by Ollie Pope's monumental 196 and debutant left-arm spinner Tom Hartley's seven-wicket haul. This victory comes despite conceding a substantial 190-run first-innings lead in the opening Test against 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," Hussain wrote in his column for 'Sky Sports'.

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"But it is a wake-up call for India as England have shown Bazball can work in these conditions," he said, referring to England's ultra-aggressive approach under head coach Brendon McCullum.

In pursuit of 231 for victory, the Indian batsmen struggled to mount a challenge in the fourth innings.

"It shows they (England) have great self-belief. They have great belief in the way they are playing the game and do things their own way. They don't worry about outside noise, that other people would have selected other cricketers, that people thought they should have had warm-up matches. 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," Hussain wrote.

Also read: IND vs ENG: Don't think there was lot of help, had to keep a cool head - Tom Hartley after remarkable debut

In the second innings, England vice-captain Pope epitomized 'Bazball' by employing sweeping, reverse-sweeping, and reverse-scooping shots against the formidable India spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, leaving them looking clueless.

"They faced a 190-run deficit in the first innings but, against the [high-quality] spinners in the opposition, Ollie Pope then played one of the truly remarkable innings we have ever witnessed."

Hussain, aged 55, commended Hartley for his mental resilience. Despite being targeted by opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first innings, Hartley displayed exceptional determination as he tore through the hosts, claiming figures of 7/62. Notably, he dismissed four of India's top-order batsmen in the fourth innings.

"Then you had Tom Hartley, who struggled in the first innings, taking seven wickets with his skipper Stokes backing him to the hilt. When you're off the field, I think you forget the pressure to step up in standard when you're making your Test debut. Nerves get to you and in that first innings Hartley did not bowl particularly bowl well. His variation in length would have disappointed him. So credit has to go to him for the second innings," Hussain wrote.

He further stated, "In the cauldron of a Test match in India, when the whole world is talking about you and saying, 'are you a Test match cricketer?', to come out and bowl the way he did, it was not just about ability but about mental strength as well. He showed he is very strong mentally."

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