Former England captain Nasser Hussain has highlighted the significance of a seam-bowling all-rounder for Team India, especially in overseas Test assignments.

According to Hussain, India need a cricketer of the calibre of Ben Stokes or Cameron Green to consistently win games on foreign tours.

In June this year, India lost to Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval and Hussain said the team sorely missed the services of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has been away from competitive action since last December after injuring himself in a car crash.  

"They (India) are brilliant at home... and the balance of their side at home is just wonderful," Hussain said in the ICC Review on Wednesday (August 9).

"(However) An Indian cricketer at the moment, a (Ben) Stokes type cricketer, a Cameron Green type cricketer, a Mitchell Marsh type cricketer, a batter at No.6 or No.7, away from home, that can bowl you 10 or 15 overs of genuine wicket-taking seam and swing, not a bowler who bats a bit, a batter who can give you 10 overs of seam bowling, and then that balance away from home makes them (India) formidable."

Hussain feels players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and young Shubman Gill make India a formidable side in home conditions, but seam-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya is an absolute necessity in overseas Tests.

While Hardik has made a successful comeback to white-ball cricket after going through back surgery in 2019, he hasn’t played Test cricket for India since August 2018. Earlier this year, the all-rounder ruled himself out of the Test selection reckoning, saying it would be unfair to take someone’s place without making any contribution in India’s journey to the WTC final.

"They've (India) got senior players like Rohit and obviously Virat and they are just world-class players and they've got youngsters coming in, like Shubman (Gill), who's going to be a superstar.

"It's away from home and the balance of the side and if they (India) can get a seam bowling all-rounder. Hardik (Pandya) would've been perfect if Hardik had stayed fit and continued that process," he stated.

Hussain further said that pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s return will give a massive boost to India in all three formats of the game.

Bumrah, who has been away from competitive action for almost a year due to a recurring back injury, is all set to make a comeback to the national team during the upcoming T20I tour of Ireland.

"If Jasprit (Bumrah) can come back as well, one of the great multi-format bowlers there is at the moment, if not the best, when fit.

"So, they've got those senior players and youngsters, and with the ball in India, those three all-rounders, and they are genuine all rounders in India -- Axar (Patel), (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Ravichandran) Ashwin. That, for me, is a really balanced side because then you've got a No.7 (in Test cricket)," opined Hussain.

India’s young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal slammed a brilliant century on his Test debut against the West Indies in Dominica last month.

Impressed with Jaiswal’s talent, Hussain said: "From what I've seen...he's (Jaiswal) made a fantastic start. You speak to people who have seen him in the IPL, again I've been working with Ricky (Ponting) and Dinesh (Karthik) came over, and you ask questions, and they all go, yeah, this lad can play.”

"He looks to have the technique and he looks to have that mindset. Like most young Indian players and batters in particular, most of them come in and have immediate success. And that is a good sign for first-class cricket, that they are being produced, not just the IPL."

(With PTI Inputs)