A couple of days before England take on India in the T20 World Cup semifinal at the Adelaide Oval, former Three Lions captain Nasser Hussain has heaped praise on the Indian team, singling out Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli and Arshdeep Singh.
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Writing in his column in the Daily Mail, Hussain said that Virat Kohli was still the master and now he has an apprentice in Suryakumar Yadav, both of whom added much needed dynamism to the Indian batting lineup. “India’s dynamism will come at three and four where Virat Kohli is still the master and now has a considerable apprentice in SKY. I don’t think I have ever seen a better white-ball innings than the one Kohli played against Pakistan in the group stage at Melbourne. The way he paced his innings as well as some of the shots he played at the end — like hitting Haris Rauf straight back over his head for six — were remarkable, ” the former England skipper said.
Hussain heaped praise on Surya, labelling him a freakish talent, writing, “SKY is a freakish talent. The term ‘a 360 degree player’ can be overused but it is true in his case. He hits balls from outside off-stump over deep square leg for six. He has wrists and levers that strike the ball in incredibly unusual areas. And he has power, bat speed and all the things a modern white-ball player needs.”
He, however, pointed out that Yadav might have a chink in his armour when it comes to facing slow left-arm spin. England though are pretty short in that department with an injured Dawid Malan and travelling reserve Liam Dawson at their disposal.
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“It is hard to find any weakness but his (SKY’s) record against slow left-arm spin is the only thing that doesn’t really stand out. In the last couple of years Sky averages 29 and strikes at 120 against slow left-armers,” he wrote.
Writing about India’s bowling attack, Hussain lauded Arshdeep Singh, adding that he was looking forward to the contest between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jos Buttler as well as Alex Hales. “As for India’s bowling, Arshdeep Singh has been brilliant with the new ball and gives India that left-arm variation while the clash between Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jos Buttler and Alex Hales at the top will be key,” Hussain wrote.
India face England on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, with both sides hoping for a victory to join the winners of Pakistan vs New Zealand in the final on Sunday.
