Nasser Hussain expects India to come back "even harder" for remaining test matches

06 February,2024 02:36 PM IST |  Mumbai  |  mid-day online correspondent

With three matches remaining to play, India will push themselves to clinch the series win. Veteran players Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to play in the third test match, Hussain expects a strong Indian team to feature in the three matches

Nasser Hussain (Pic: AFP)


Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes that India's win in the second test match against England has set the series right and expects the Indian to come back "even harder" in the remaining matches.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's double century in the first innings, Shubman Gill's century in the second innings and Jasprit Bumrah's nine wickets in the match helped the hosts to register a 106-run win over England. The five-match Test series is now levelled at 1-1.

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With three matches remaining to play, India will push themselves to clinch the series win. Veteran players Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja are likely to feature in the third test match, Hussain expects a strong Indian team to feature in the three matches.

"It is set up perfectly, with three Tests to play. I think it will be a tight series but England are going to have to expect India to come back even harder. India have missed quite a few key players so far," Hussain said as quoted from Sky Sports.

"Mohammad Shami, I think, is out for the series, Ravi Jadeja could well be out for another Test match and Virat Kohli has been out of the first two. We are talking about some serious cricketers there. Kohli may well come back in, KL Rahul also, so I would expect a stronger Indian side in those last three games of the series. England will know that they're going to have to up their game," Hussain added.

The 55-year-old former English cricketer heaps praises on "magical" Jasprit Bumrah and called him the reason why the hosts ended up wrapping up a 106-run victory in the second match.

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Bumrah scalped 6/45 in the first innings and produced a bewitching spell which rattled England's batting line-up.

Even in the second innings, he went on to claim three wickets, which forced the visitors to succumb to a score of 292.

"It was a fantastic Test match. Brilliant pitch and brilliant sides going hard at each other. One way or the other England fighting hard as they often do. They often give away a first-inning lead as they did in the first Test. But they fought back well with their performance yesterday. And I think it was really the magic of Jasprit Bumrah. He got 3 today, but that spell in the first innings - 6 for 40 odd, blew away England for 250 on a really good flat pitch. The magic of Bumrah and the ball to Ollie Pope, that spell he bowled was, in the end, the difference between the two sides," Hussain said.

India and England will now head to Rajkot for the third Test, on February 15.

(With ANI Inputs)

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