IND vs ENG: James Anderson would have given some control in Hyderabad, says Nasser Hussain

IND vs ENG: James Anderson would have given some control in Hyderabad, says Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain has claimed that James Anderson would probably have given England a lot more control during the match in Hyderabad, given his exceptional skills in the sub-continent.

Anderson was a notable omission from the England playing XI, as the visitors decided to go with three spinners and Joe Root as an extra option. Mark Wood was the only pacer in the side as Ben Stokes is yet not ready to bowl.

The plan didn’t work for England in Hyderabad, with India seemingly running away with the game at this point. India would take the upper hand on day one through a blitzkrieg from Yashasvi Jaiswal and the second day saw KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja score 86 and 81 respectively to allow the hosts to take a 175-run lead.

Hartley, who had a torrid day one, did get back into the thick of things with two wickets and Joe Root also chipped in with a couple. Rehan Ahmed picked up one wicket but Jack Leach didn’t bowl a lot due to a knee issue.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hussaid said that he would have gone for Anderson in the game and a bit surprised with the balance of the side. The former England captain felt that the veteran pacer would have given the side control in the match.

“I said before the game, I would have played Anderson. I was a bit surprised at the balance of the side because with Root in India it is four spinners and one seamer,” Hussain said.

“Anderson gives you control. It doesn’t even have to be him, it can be (Ollie) Robinson, just another seamer.

Anderson is England’s greatest ever bowler: Hussain

Anderson has picked up 34 wickets in India and Hussain feels that England is missing the services of the veteran, Hussain said that he understood why England went with three spinners given Leach has just returned to the game after a lengthy layoff.

“Anderson’s skills in the sub-continent has been exceptional in the last few years. Anderson is a quite a good player when he is in the side. He is England’s greatest ever bowler.”

“I understood why they have done it. You’ve got Jack Leach who hasn’t bowled since May or June because of his stress fractures and then you have a debutant and someone playing in their second Test match.”

“They may have been concerned about how much you can bowl Leach in that game. So, if you just go for the second spinner and they don’t get it right, you are left in a tricky position.”

Interestingly, on day two, Anderson was seen bowling left-arm spin in the nets and his efforts were appreciated by Ravi Shastri.

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