"You cannot bowl to those two at the moment" - Nasser Hussain on Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow
Former England batter Nasser Hussain observed that Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hardly played any 'Bazball' cricket during their 269-run partnership to fire England to a seven-wicket win over India. Hussain said the pair only played conventional shots and are nearly impossible to bowl to on current form.
Root and Bairstow stitched a splendid partnership as England registered their highest run-chase in Test cricket with seven wickets to spare at Edgbaston. The pair joined hands when the hosts slid to 107-3 and stayed unbeaten to get their side over the line with twin hundreds.
🤘
Rockstars 🎸🤘
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 https://t.co/2QcGz2lfEW
In his column for Sky Sports, Hussain stated that he hardly remembers two England batters in such sublime form for a long time and that he was glad they played conventional shots.
The former England batter said:
"The form that Jonny Bairstow and Root are in - I can't remember a pair of England cricketers being in such form for such a sustained period. I will be perfectly honest, it's not really Bazball.
He added:
"The way they are playing is just what normal Root and Bairstow can do. Every time they have taken a risk, they have nailed it. They have been so smart, so sensible. You cannot bowl to those two at the moment. That's how good they are."
Root, who secured the player of the series award in the five-Test rubber against India, hammered 737 runs at 105.28 with four centuries. On the other hand, Bairstow scored twin tons against India at Edgbaston.
"This win over India was remarkable" - Nasser Hussain
The former England skipper warned that more challenging times await them; however, he labeled the win over India as 'remarkable'.
He further said:
"There will be difficult times, where fourth-innings run chases will be tougher than they have been this summer. England will make mistakes and they will have to learn from them. This win over India was remarkable. To do it once it is remarkable, to do it four times on the bounce is unbelievable, it really is."
This team. This way of playing. Simply irresistible ❤️
Scorecard/Clips: ms.spr.ly/6188bQjIa
🏴 #ENGvIND 🇮🇳 https://t.co/Phl1BNkGol
England will focus on the limited-overs matches against India, starting with the first T20I on Thursday.