"Even without aggression of Virat Kohli, and class of Jasprit Bumrah..." - Nasser Hussain lauds Rohit Sharma

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was impressed with India’s competitive spirit to win despite the absence of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Nasser Hussain lauded Rohit Sharma‘s leadership, particularly in opening the bowling with Ravichandran Ashwin.

The Indian team is playing the ongoing fourth Test match against England in Ranchi without Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. Kohli opted out of the entire series due to the birth of his second child, while Bumrah was rested from the Ranchi Test to manage his workload.

India Showed Their Character As Well As Their Class – Nasser Hussain

In his Daily Mail column after Day 3, Nasser Hussain emphasized the importance of determination alongside a talent for success. Hussain appreciated the gripping cricket displayed by both teams in the series.

“That’s what impresses me about this Indian team. You can have all the talent in the world, but unless you have that deep competitive instinct, that will to win, you risk coming up short. But even without the aggression of Virat Kohli, and the class of Jasprit Bumrah, you can tell how much they wanted it here,” wrote Hussain.

“Rohit cares deeply, even if he doesn’t always show it in the same way as Kohli, and on the third day India showed their character as well as their class. That’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most in this series, from both sides: there has been a lot of character on show, and it’s made for gripping cricket,” he added.

The home team lost seven wickets for 177 runs in response to England’s 353 runs. However, Dhruv Jurel and Kuldeep Yadav rescued the team with a crucial 76-run stand. Dhruv Jurel scored 90 runs as the Indian team was bowled out for 307 runs in the first innings.

The Rohit Sharma-led side added 130 runs for the last three wickets and narrowed the deficit to 46. Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav ran through England’s batting order in the second innings. Ashwin completed his five-wicket haul, as England scored 145 runs.

Zak Crawley Has Played Superbly In This Game – Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain commended Zak Crawley’s impressive performance, noting how he utilized his height to counter-spin bowling effectively. Hussain highlighted that Crawley was dismissed by a sharp turn from Kuldeep Yadav when he misjudged the length.

“Crawley has played superbly in this game, and used his height to smother the spin. He didn’t give the ball a chance to creep along the ground, because he was using his big reach to get to the pitch. The one time he didn’t pick the length that well, he stayed back to Kuldeep Yadav and was bowled by sharp turn,” Hussain stated.

Zak Crawley dominated against Indian spinners while other England batters struggled to score on the turning track. The right-handed batter scored 60 runs off 91 balls, including seven boundaries. However, he was bowled by the left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Also read: “He was absolutely outstanding” – Nasser Hussain reacts as Joe Root ditches Bazball to hit fantastic hundred