Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Test cricket needed a series like the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. The series has been a nail-biting affair.
The pendulum has swung to and fro, with England winning two games and India sealing a win in Birmingham. The fourth Test at Old Trafford ended as a draw.
The fifth Test is also heading towards a tight finish, and the outcome of the series will depend on the result of the final Test. India have been the better team, and the stats show that as top batters and bowlers in the series are from the visiting team, but England have capitalised on big moments, while India let the games slip away when they needed to push England back, resulting in two close defeats. Hussain said the series has been worth watching.
“In general, the fight between the teams has made it much more watchable. It has been great TV,” Hussain wrote. “We talked at the start of the summer about two iconic series coming up for England, India at home and then Australia away. When you build a series up, sometimes it can be a bit one-sided and deflating. But this has not disappointed, and I think Test cricket needed a series like this.”
Hussain further highlighted the memorable moments of the series, and said he enjoyed every second of the series.
“There have been so many memorable moments. There was that over at Zak Crawley on the last night at Lord’s. You had Pant strolling down the stairs on one leg at Old Trafford, hobbling around as he batted with a broken foot. Here at the Oval, we saw Joe Root – the most mild-mannered, calm individual – going off at one after some verbals from Prasidh Krishna. Then there was Sai Sudharsan, another calm person, walking into the England huddle and having words with Duckett. I have enjoyed every single minute of it,” Hussain said.