“You can’t just fall back on the old ‘this is the way we play’ mantra” – Nasser Hussain calls for England to play smarter in 4th Test vs India

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has urged Ben Stokes’ team to play smartly in the fourth Test match against India at Ranchi, which is set to start from Friday onwards. Hussain reckons the visitors can’t just fall back on the old saying ‘this is the way we play’ mantra irrespective of the result.

England were given a huge hammering of 434 runs in the third Test match at Rajkot, which is their biggest Test loss in terms of number of runs. The visitors’ batting unit has come under the scanner as they haven’t been able to deliver the goods.

Ben Duckett scored a fine knock of 153 runs in the third Test but the rest of the batters failed to make any substantial contribution.

“You can’t just fall back on the old ‘this is the way we play’ mantra, because Test cricket is all about adapting to conditions – especially in India, where the nature of the pitch can change almost overnight during the course of a five-day Test. If you get in, you need to make it count. Look at the first three Tests: England won the first after Ollie Pope’s magnificent 196, before India hit back with successive double-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and 131 from Rohit Sharma,” wrote Hussain for Daily Mail.

Hussain backed England to bounce back in the series by playing smartly as they did against Australia in the previous Ashes.

“They’ve done it before. Think back to the Ashes, where they became better at playing the short ball after that hook-happy collapse at Lord’s. Bazball, as they keep telling us, is about smart cricket, not headless cricket. They need to prove that point again now,” added Hussain.

Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow has failed to deliver as he has scored only 102 runs in three Test matches at an average of 17. However, Hussain backed Bairstow to bounce back as the right-hander will have a point to prove.

“For Bairstow, the key – as it is for so many visiting batters in India – is to get through those first 20-30 balls when it’s turning and Ravindra Jadeja is spearing them into your pads, making it tough to sweep. If he can do that, he can be destructive, but he has to give himself a chance. Perhaps the fact that he has a point to prove will bring out the best in him,” wrote Hussain.

India and England will next take on each other at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi in the fourth Test match from Friday.