IND vs ENG LIVE – Naseer Hussian Big Prediction: Former England captain & one of the most well respected cricket expert Naseer Hussain has predicted that it will be difficult for England to stop India from victory in the 3rd TEST.
Nasser Hussain believes that England can’t stage a fightback. In his column for the Daily Mail, the former England captain wrote on what makes Virat Kohli and his men, favourites to take a 2-0 lead. Hussain has also given 5 primary reasons behind this prediction.
IND vs ENG – Naseer Hussian Big Prediction: Here are five reasons why Nasser Hussain believes England cannot mount a comeback against Team India.
Reason 1 – India will beat England in 3rd Test – Virat Kohli’s captaincy
Nasser Hussain heaped praise on Virat Kohli and said that the India skipper is the right man to lead a formidable India side. Hussain claimed that Kohli just wants to win at any cost and has his aggression aimed at winding up the opposition and he gets under the skin of every team he plays against. The former England captain wrote that while his batting form has dipped a bit, Virat Kohli would rather win the series than score multiple centuries and it serves well for the Indian team.
Reason 2 – India will beat England in 3rd Test – India’s bowling attack backed by self-belief
Hussain wrote that he always assumed that Jasprit Bumrah was a quiet and reserved character off the field, but the way he attacked James Anderson showed that the fast bowler had immense self-belief. The Sky Sports pundit added that Kohli’s aggression had rubbed off on his bowling attack and it was a key reason why they could clinch historic victories in Australia and the Lord’s.
Reason 3 – India will beat England in 3rd Test – England’s injury woes and batting form
England have Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer ruled out due to injuries, while Mark Wood and James Anderson also struggled for peak fitness at Lord’s. Hussain labelled England’s batting as vulnerable and claimed that the demise of quality red-ball batting had been coming for a long time in the country. He said, “This batting demise has been a long time coming. It’s not just England by the way. It’s red-ball batters around the world. It only seems to be the two World Test Championship finalists in New Zealand and India who are producing high-quality red-ball batsmen.”
Reason 4 – India will beat England in 3rd Test – Rohit Sharma, India’s X-factor
On Rohit Sharma, Nasser Hussain wrote that the Indian opener was one of the vital cogs in this Indian side. The former England captain wrote, “Rohit Sharma was right there when he was complaining about the light, and both he and Rahane are integral to the tactics of India. Rohit might come across as a calm, slow heartbeat sort of guy but he is very driven to succeed too.” Rohit has had a good tour of England so far, scoring a fluent 83 at Lord’s, after starts in both the innings at Tent Bridge. Rohit’s desire to spend more time in the middle has been a highlight, especially against the moving Dukes ball.
Reason 5 – India will beat England in 3rd Test – Ravichandran Ashwin’s possible inclusion
Nasser Hussain recalled the incident where Australian captain Tim Paine sledged Ravichandran Ashwin to come to Gabba as he heroically defended to save the Sydney Test. While the Indian off-spinner didn’t play, India did script history at the Gabba taking it on as a challenge and not being bullied by what the opposition said.
Naseer Hussian Big Prediction: Ashwin hasn’t featured in either of the Tests so far, but with Headingley expected to be a flat wicket that could slow down, the world No.2 Test spinner could well return to the playing XI. Ashwin also adds much-needed batting depth, with India particularly playing with a long tail at Lord’s. Ashwin was the leading wicket-taker in the last World Test Championship cycle with 67 scalps and will look to add more this time around whenever he gets a game.