During the first day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and India at The Oval, former England captain Nasser Hussain highlighted the lack of balance in Team India’s bowling composition.
At the conclusion of Day 1, Australia amassed a massive score of 327/3, leaving the Indian bowlers struggling throughout the day. Nasser Hussain drew attention to India’s choice of omitting Ravichandran Ashwin in favor of four seamers, indicating that there appeared to be uncertainty regarding their final playing XI.
Nasser Hussain on Team India
During Day 1 of the match, Nasser Hussain engaged in an on-air conversation with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. Hussain discussed the significance of players like Cameron Green, emphasizing the balance they bring to the Test side. He also expressed his belief that India made an oversight by not persuading Hardik Pandya to participate in the final match.
“At the toss this morning, it was so apparent that India were not sure about their side and Australia were crystal clear and Cameron Green has a lot to do with that. He just balances the side away from home in England. He is the sort of cricketer that India would have loved to have. Of course, Shardul Thakur is a seam-bowling all-rounder of kinds. In India, you’ve got Jadeja, Ashwin and Axar Patel. They are complete all-rounders in Indian conditions but what about a seam-bowling all-rounder when you go overseas? Where is Hardik Pandya?” he said.
In response to Nasser Hussain’s comments, Ricky Ponting shared insights into Hardik Pandya’s perspective regarding his Test future. Ponting revealed that Pandya, due to his previous prolonged back injury, has been cautious about managing his workload. According to Ponting, Pandya felt it would be “unfair” to other players who have made significant contributions to India’s success in recent years if he were to be included in the Test side.
“That’s the one line that was mentioned in commentary earlier today. He (Hardik) made it clear that he feels his body won’t get through the rigours of Test cricket. He was thrown up in a game like this what do you think about playing in a game like this, just a one-off Test just to help the balance of the side? And his reply apparently was that he didn’t feel it was fair on everyone else who have been through this journey in the last couple of years leading into this game,” he said.
