"Let's be honest, Eoin Morgan is a very difficult act to follow" - Nasser Hussain believes England's white-ball team needs time under Jos Buttler
Former captain Nasser Hussain feels that there is no need to panic despite England's crushing 10-wicket defeat against India at The Oval on Tuesday (July 12). The defending ODI World Cup champions were bowled out for a paltry 110, which was chased down easily, to concede a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Despite the return of established players like Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Stokes, the Jos Buttler-led side were rattled by Jasprit Bumrah's sensational spell. The pacer recorded astonishing figures of 6/19 to completely dismantle the hosts.
This marked the first instance where England lost an ODI by 10 wickets at home.
It's India's day.
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Opining that new white ball captain Buttler and coach Matthew Mott will require time to imprint their vision onto the squad, Hussain said on Sky Sports:
"This is absolutely not the time to panic in any way. You have had a complete change of management, so it is going to take time for Buttler and Mott to develop their own team, their own squad, and instill their own values in the team. Let's be honest, Eoin Morgan is a very difficult act to follow."
England's famed batting unit struggled to get going on a bowling-friendly surface. After being put in to bat by Rohit Sharma, four batters in the top six were dismissed for a duck as England narrowly avoided being bowled out for their lowest ever ODI total.
Despite the unprecedented collapse, Hussain is far from worried about the batting unit. However, the former captain expressed concern about the squad's depth and added:
"You miss two or three players, and it is a massive drop-off for England. India have got such depth, that they can bring in whomever. England can't afford leaving out Bairstow and Buttler."
Hussain added:
"I won't be panicking about the batting line-up, they will get you runs. Root is a world-class player in all formats in my opinion."
The hosts primarily fielded a second-string bowling unit in the form of David Willey, Craig Overton and Reece Topley. Defending a well below-par target, the English bowlers failed to produce a wicket as Rohit Sharma (76) and Shikhar Dhawan (31) comfortably led India to victory.
"Buttler, Key and Mott are going to work out who is going to be the most valuable and fit bowlers" - Nasser Hussain
England are missing the services of Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood against India, with all three pacers battling injuries at the moment. The trio are in doubt for the T20 World Cup as well, which gets underway in a couple of months.
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Feeling that the management will have to revisit their plans concerning the seam bowling attack ahead of the World Cup, Hussain said:
"They had a bad day at the office with the bat, I reckon they will have much better days. But, with the ball, some of the players like Archer and Wood, are not there at the moment, are not fit."
Hussain concluded:
"I think in Ali and Rashid they have got their two spinners, but the seam department... Pretty soon Buttler, Key and Mott are going to work out who is going to be the most valuable and fit bowlers that can win us games in Australia."
England will play their second ODI against India at The Lord's on Thursday (July 14).