‘I take my hat off to them’: Nasser Hussain hails India’s tailenders for making ‘important contribution’ in Oval Test
Nasser Hussain lauded the Indian tailenders for adding valuable 150 runs to the scoreboard which helped the visitors set a challenging target for England to chase.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has heaped praise on India’s tail for showing great character in the ongoing Test series. He highlighted that the Indian lower order has worked hard on its batting which reflected well on the fourth day of the Oval Test.
The Indian top-order piled up runs in the second innings of the Oval Test after Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant hundred and Cheteshwar Pujara played a brilliant knock of 61. Once captain Virat Kohli was out on 44, the lower-order took the onus and didn’t fail to impress with their batting. Shardul Thakur scored his second fifty in this game while Pant notched up his first half-century in this tour. Later, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah (24) and Umesh Yadav (25) contributed with some valuable runs as India posted 466, setting a 368-run target for the hosts.
In his latest column in Daily Mail, Hussain lauded the Indian tailenders for adding valuable 150 runs to the scoreboard which helped the visitors set a challenging target for England to chase.
“Whenever the India XI has flashed up at the start of a Test this summer, one of the first thoughts has been the length of their tail. But fair play to them. Their lower order have worked on their batting and on Sunday— for the third time in the series — they made an important contribution,” Hussain wrote.
“First there was Lord’s on the last morning, when Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah put on 89 and took the game away from England. Then, on the first day here, Shardul Thakur helped turn a potential 150 all out into 191, which kept his side in the game.
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“On Sunday, the last four added 150, with Thakur scoring another half- century, and Bumrah and Umesh Yadav again making useful runs. They saw how New Zealand’s lower order outperformed their own during the World Test Championship final in Southampton, and decided to do something about it. I take my hat off to them,” he added.
This is second occasion in the ongoing series that Indian lower-order batters stood strong against the English attack. Earlier, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah paired up in the second innings of the Lord’s Test and stitched a record 89-run unbeaten stand to put India in a commanding position. As a result, the visitors set a 272-run target and defeated the hosts by 151 runs to go up 1-0 up in the series.