Former England captain Nasser Hussain referred to India as the better team by a fair distance as they clinched the series with a match in hand. They took an unassailable 3-1 lead with a five-wicket win in Ranchi on Monday, February 26. However, England lost their third successive match in the series where they were unable to capitalize on their initial 1-0 lead after a close win in Hyderabad. England had their chances, particularly in Rajkot and Ranchi, before India bounced back on both occasions to win the games as well.
“England did not lose the game today, they game was lost yesterday,” Hussain said on Sky Sports. “What a turnaround from India. I think India deserve credit for the way they have played throughout the series, to be honest. India have been without some star names, there is a long list of people who are missing, and yet they managed to put in performances.”I think you have to give India credit for not only the skill they have, but with the mental toughness as well.”
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However, Nasser Hussain also added that despite Team India missing several star players, their home record is difficult to beat and as a result, England should not be demotivated by the series loss as well. However, Team India’s latest series win marks the 17th successive win that they have recorded a red-ball series win on home soil. The England team under Alastair Cook in 2012 remains the last team to beat India at home.
“Their home record is absolutely phenomenal, so there is no shame in losing to this Indian side. Like with any Test series or even any Test match, you look at key areas, where you let the game slip, and for England, it was all of yesterday. What could have been a 100-run lead ended up being 46 runs,” Nasser Hussain concluded. “England did really good today, they put up as much of a fight as they could, they got wickets either side of lunch and when they got Sarfaraz and Jadeja just after Lunch, you felt this was going to be close. But, Shubman Gill showed his class and his calmness, and Dhruv Jurel has just been a revelation to be honest in the two games that he has played, both with the gloves and also with the bat.”
