'It is all about adapting' - Nasser Hussain asks Ben Stokes-led England to play 'smart cricket' in Ranchi Test

Former England captain-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain has urged Ben Stokes & Co. to play 'smart cricket' and adapt well in the upcoming fourth and penultimate Test versus India in Ranchi. The Ranchi Test kicks off on Friday (Feb 23) with the visitors in a do-or-die spot as they have conceded a 2-1 lead to India following the Rajkot drubbing.

Hussain mentioned that England cannot just rely on their Bazball approach and schooled them that Test cricket is all about adapting and playing smartly. In his coloum for the Daily Mail, Hussain wrote, "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."

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In addition, Hussain cited England's use of the short-ball technique in last year's home Ashes as an example of how well they recovered to draw the five-match series2-2after falling behind in the opening two Tests. Stokes & Co. fell behind 0-2 in the series but staged a remarkable comeback eventually. Thus, Hussain feels the visitors have to prove to the critics that Bazball is all about smart cricket.

"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," opined Hussain.

The ex-cricketer also opened up on Jonny Bairstow's struggles in the ongoing series, where he has managed only 102 runs in six innings at 26. "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," Hussain added.