England vs India 2018: Nasser Hussain warns against Adil Rashid's Test recall

Former captain Nasser Hussain has cautioned the England selectors against offering a Test recall to Adil Rashid. Despite the leg-spinner's successful performance in the recently completed ODI series against India, the venerated commentator insisted that bringing him back for the Test series would effectively send out a wrong message for aspiring players.

"Make your mind up, Adil. One minute he's playing, one minute he's not. That's not how it works; you can't just say I'm now available. You play and then let the selectors select", Hussain told Sky Sports Cricket.

With a scorching summer likely to spawn drier pitches, the focus has already shifted towards England's spin reserves. Since his game-changing spells in the ODIs at Lord's and Leeds, there is increasing clamour around Rashid's wrist-spin.

However, Hussain pointed to Rashid's uncertain approach to the longest format whilst elucidating his opinion. The Yorkshire leg-spinner had quit red-ball cricket earlier this year. Citing lack of engrossment in the vagaries of the purest format, he had decided to concentrate solely on limited-overs cricket.

Considering the acute lack of exciting spin options in England's Test setup, Rashid surged into contention after spinning Eoin Morgan's team to victory in the deciding ODI at Headingley. His sharp leg-break to castle Virat Kohli left the Indian captain engulfed in profound bewilderment.

Whilst England's seam attack is significantly better, India continues to hold the aces in the spin department. Having drafted Kuldeep Yadav into the squad, they have three quality spinners at their disposal for the eagerly awaited Test series.

As the England selectors prepare to unveil their Test squad, coach Trevor Bayliss did not rule out Rashid's recall. He alluded to another such recent case in Jos Buttler. The dynamic batsman was brought back into Test cricket in the aftermath of eye-catching white-ball performances.

Rejecting any similarities between the two players, Hussain quipped, "It's different for Buttler. He did not make himself unavailable for selection - he was playing in the IPL but was going to come back and play red-ball cricket."

The 50-year old asserted, "If I was an England selector I would not go down that road. Dominic Bess, Jack Leach, Moeen have been trying as hard as they can to become England Test cricketers - I wouldn't pick over them someone who can't make their mind up. Also, you've got to look at the bigger picture; if he has one bad game, then what happens? Does he make himself unavailable again?"

England is expected to name their squad in the coming days. The first Test of the five-match series will take place from August 1 at Edgbaston.

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