Nasser Hussain suggests a change in England’s playing XI for second Test against India

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has called for James Anderson to be replaced by Stuart Broad in the second Test against India starting Saturday (February 13) in Chennai.

Nasser Hussain explained the reason behind the change, saying he wants Anderson to be rejuvenated for the third rubber, which is a day-night Test in Ahmedabad.

After taking six wickets in the second Test versus Sri Lanka in Galle last month, James Anderson played another key role in England handing India a 227-run loss in the first Test.

Shedding light on Anderson’s age and his need for adequate rest, Nasser Hussain opined that England should replace Anderson with Broad in the second game before bringing back the former in the day-night Test.

“Anderson is 38, so Stuart Broad could come in for him as it is going to be a very similar pitch to the first Test and England might want to keep Anderson for the third Test. That is a day-night game in Ahmedabad and Anderson under lights could be a real handful. Broad is a pretty good replacement, I have to say,” Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for Sky Sports.

James Anderson was England’s wrecker-in-chief in the fourth innings as he accounted for three key wickets in a span of 20 deliveries to quash all hopes of an India win.

After castling Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane in the same over, Anderson removed the dangerous Rishabh Pant in what was an outstanding spell of reverse swing bowling.

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Nasser Hussain backs England’s decision against enforcing the follow-on

England are currently on a six-match winning streak in overseas Tests [Credits: England Cricket]

Before James Anderson put England in the driver’s seat, Shubman Gill and captain Virat Kohli seemed set to take the run-chase deep into the match.

Those were the moments when people were debating whether England should have enforced the follow-on after securing a 241-run first innings lead.

Nasser Hussain, however, backed Joe Root’s decision and reasoned that the bowlers needed rest after spending 95.5 overs on the field in Chennai’s dry heat.

“There is always a 45-minute gap between what pundits, spectators, people off the field think the captain should be doing and what actually happens. If you are not going to enforce the follow-on, then you want to rest your bowlers. Root wanted to make sure they were fresh to go again,” Nasser Hussain, who won 17 out of 45 Tests as captain, concluded.

New Zealand have already qualified for the World Test Championship final, and the outcome of the India-England series will decide the other finalist.

England need to win at least two of the remaining three Tests, while India require to win the series with a one-Test margin to seal the spot.