Nasser Hussain: India requires cricketer similar to Ben Stokes

Hussain recognizes Pant's potential to reinforce India's middle order upon recovery, but he expresses worry over the team's lack of a seam bowler who can contribute with the bat.

New Delhi: Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that for India to be a more successful Test side in overseas conditions, they need an all-rounder like England’s Ben Stokes or Australia’s Cameron Green, who can bat well at six or seven number and also give India 10-15 overs of genuine wicket-taking seam and swing for a better team balance.

While India reached the recent final of the ICC World Test Championship on the back of some great success on home soil, their form away from the sub-continent remains an ongoing concern for Hussain.

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India recently defeated the West Indies 1-0 in the Caribbean and played some excellent cricket in Bangladesh at the end of last year to inch towards an appearance in the World Test Championship Final, but results away from home have been mixed for Rohit Sharma’s side outside those two series.

Hussain discussed the balance of India’s Test side with host Sanjana Ganesan in the recent episode of The ICC Review.

“They are brilliant at home…and the balance of their side at home is just wonderful. They have got senior players like Rohit and obviously Virat (Kohli) and they are just world-class players and they have got youngsters coming in, like Shubman (Gill), who is going to be a superstar,” said Hussain as quoted by ICC.

“If Jasprit (Bumrah) can come back as well, one of the great multi-format bowlers there is at the moment, if not the best, when fit. So, they have got those senior players and youngsters, and with the ball in India, those three all-rounders, and they are genuine all-rounders in India – Axar (Patel), (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Ravichandran) Ashwin.

That, for me, is a really balanced side because then you have got a number 7,” he added.

But it is India’s team balance away from home that remains a question for Hussain and was evident when they were defeated by Australia in the second instalment of the World Test Championship Final in June.

Hussain knows India’s middle order will be strengthened should wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant return to full fitness, but the lack of a seam bowler that can also bat is a concern for the commentator.

“I was travelling with Ricky (Ponting) a lot during the Ashes, and he was texting Rishabh, and Rishabh was in the gym, and he was getting updates. He is a massive miss at the moment and hopefully, he will come back,” he said.

“It is away from home and the balance of the side and if they can get a seam bowling all-rounder. Hardik (Pandya) would have been perfect if Hardik had stayed fit and continued that process,” he added.

“An Indian cricketer at the moment, a (Ben) Stokes type cricketer, a Cameron Green type cricketer, a Mitchell Marsh type cricketer, a batter at No.6 or No.7, away from home, that can bowl you 10 or 15 overs of genuine wicket-taking seam and swing, not a bowler who bats a bit, a batter who can give you 10 overs of seam bowling, and then that balance away from home makes them formidable,” he concluded his point.

And while Hussain may be somewhat worried about the make-up of India’s middle-order, he has no similar concerns for their top order and thinks young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is well placed to build on the impressive start to his Test career he made against the West Indies recently.

“From what I have seen…he has made a fantastic start. You speak to people who have seen him in the IPL, again I have been working with Ricky (Ponting) and Dinesh (Karthik) came over, and you ask questions, and they all go, yeah, this lad can play.” “He looks to have the technique and he looks to have that mindset.”

“Like most young Indian players and batters in particular, most of them come in and have immediate success. And that is a good sign for first-class cricket, that they are being produced, not just the IPL.”

“I have watched so many young Indian batters come in and I look at them and think, technically they look very gifted because they have been brought up on watching Rohit or watching Virat or watching before that, you know, Virat’s watched Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sachin’s watched Sunil (Gavaskar),” he concluded.