Ind vs Eng: ‘Don’t alter Bazball approach, but...’ - Nasser Hussain schools Ben Stokes-led England

England lost the third Test to India, in Rajkot, by a whopping 434-run margin. This became the second biggest defeat for England in Tests and they now trail the five-match series 2-1. After the third Test, former England captain-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain schooled Ben Stokes & Co. Hussain feels England should not considering tweaking their famous Bazball approach but need some reflection and improvement before heading into the final two Tests.

‘It’s time for introspection’

In his column for the Daily Mail, Hussain wrote, "Sure, England got away with it in the first Test when they conceded a huge 190-run lead and turned things around... But on the Subcontinent, matches like that are the exception, not the rule and if you get behind it's very hard to catch up...It's a time for introspection. It's a time for the basics - taking your catches, making big scores in the first innings."

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"Bazball is not attack, attack, attack. Occasionally, you must absorb pressure and this was a time to do so, forcing Bumrah into a second spell, making Jadeja bowl more and more. An opportunity for England to make India really miss Ashwin," Hussain further stated.

Hussain added, "If England don't consider tweaks, Bazball just becomes a cult that can't be questioned...I am not asking them to alter their mantra, just to review the last couple of matches and ask themselves: how can we improve?"

After being asked to bowl first, England had India reeling at 33-3 on the opening day of the Rajkot Test before Indian captain Rohit Sharma's 131 and Ravindra Jadeja's 112 propelled the hosts to 445. In reply, Ben Duckett stood out with an impressive 153 but England only managed 319, conceding a vital 126-run lead. India setup a massive 557-run target for the visitors, riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal's unbeaten 214 in the second innings, to eventually dismiss the English line-up for a paltry 122 in the final innings.

England could not capitalise on a fine start, Duckett's daddy hundred and the fact that India were without R Ashwin, who withdrew from the Test midway due to a family emergency, and lostby a huge margin. The visitors, trailing 2-1, have a herculean task at hand to level the series in the fourth Test in Ranchi, which gets underway on Feb 23 (Friday).