Team India’s fearless batting in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has left a lasting impression on former England cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain, who feels this is a significant shift from what he saw in the T20 World Cup last year.
The Men in Blue have had a terrific start to their World Cup campaign. They have won all four matches so far against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Speaking to Star Sports, Hussain hailed India skipper Rohit Sharma as one of the best white-ball batters of all time.
"I have thought for a long time, he's one of the best white-ball batters there has ever been. His record is up there with the best, he's done it in World Cups.
"His record against Bangladesh is magnificent, his pull shot, at one stage we showed a graphic -- he was averaging 400 in the pull shot in the last couple of years. He got out to it in the end but not before he had done a lot of damage," Hussain said.
The former England captain sees real intent in the way Indian team is playing this time around. He was also effusive in praise of India’s top three featuring Rohit, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.
"The most important thing I like is intent, there is real intent, for a while they played a bit of timid cricket in the T20 World Cup in Australia and they lost to England in Adelaide in that semi-final. This looks like a different top three, the way Rohit, Shubman and Virat are playing are going to put a lot of top order bowlers under pressure."
Rohit has also impressed Nasser Hussain with his captaincy as the latter singled out his effective rotation of bowlers.
"Just the way when you lose a bowler, the way you have to think about bowlers are key moments in the games. Kuldeep was bowling really well, and he realised the way Siraj has come back with those cross-seam deliveries and then he went to Siraj, he got the wicket, and then he went back to Kuldeep, Jadeja and Bumrah.
"He just rotated his bowlers, and as Dinesh Karthik said on commentary, it wasn't just the rotation, he was always rotating, looking to get a wicket. So, a bit like his batting where he has the attacking option, it's the same with his captaincy."
Kohli slammed his 48th ODI hundred in India’s seven-wicket win over Bangladesh, and Hussain explained why the star batter is so brilliant in run chases.
"Kohli always plays the situation and that's why he is brilliant in run chases. He sees the situation out there in front of him, he won't be much off the strike rate anyway because he never takes up deliveries or chews up deliveries.
"On a pitch like this if you wanted to go into another gear, if he was chasing 350, Kohli would've gone into another gear, but he was just making sure India got over the line as he often does."
(With PTI Inputs)
