Former England captain, Nasser Hussain believes that Virat Kohli’s India no longer gets bullied by adversities, both on and off the field. Hussain who led England with aplomb during his playing days believes that this Indian team is no longer second to anyone. He thinks that Kohli has instilled a never-say-die attitude among his teammates which serves them well.
The injury-ridden Indian Team:
The Indian team displayed a lot of strength and gumption when they were faced with challenges down under. It all started with vice-captain, Rohit Sharma being declared unfit for the first 2 Tests while experienced pacer, Ishant Sharma being ruled out of the entire series. Captain Kohli was set to fly off taking paternity leave after the first Test. Mohammad Shami got injured in the 2nd innings of the first Test and was ruled out from the series too. To make matters worse for India, they suffered a torrid collapse in the 2nd innings of the first Test at Adelaide. Everybody had written India off after they suffered a debilitating defeat with experts predicting that India will be losing the series 0-4 to Australia.
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A spirited indian fightback:
To everyone’s surprise, the Indian team bounced back in style. They notched up sensational victories in Melbourne and Brisbane while they played out a stunning draw at Sydney. The fact that they managed to win the series despite losing 9 of their main players speaks volumes about the team’s character.
Hussain opined that “Any side that can go to Australia, go 1-0 down after being bowled out for 36, lose Kohli because he’s going home on paternity leave, lose your bowling attack and still come back and win after some of the stuff that went on off the field in Australia, they won’t be bullied.” Hussain went on to add that, “They (India) are a tough side. I think Kohli has instilled that. Make no mistake, at home, they are a formidable outfit.”
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Nasser Hussain asserted that the England team who will be touring India soon will be high on confidence. But he was wary of the decision to rest a few frontline players for the series. Hussain quoted that, “That’s a really good sign that they’re doing that, with harder tasks ahead. The Ashes, India home and away, New Zealand confirmed, but that is great momentum and confidence going into an iconic series which is India away.”
Will England put their best XI on the park?
“I was brought up in India and I’ve always seen India vs England as one of the great series, all I would have asked is turn up to Chennai with your best 13 to 15 players. I think England fans have earned the right for their best team to be there that first day. If it means (Stuart) Broad and (James) Anderson playing together because it’s a bit green, worry about the Ashes down the line.”
It will be interesting to see how a spirited England side squares up against a now mighty Indian team at home.
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