‘Word spreads very quickly you know’: Nasser Hussain on India’s ‘worst’ fear ahead of Sri Lanka World Cup clash
Team India has been so dominant this World Cup that almost everything they do is destined to succeed. Bat first, bowl first… it doesn’t matter.
The end result will be a win. Throughout this tournament, India have faced minimal challenges, with their closest match coming against New Zealand – even then, the Men in Blue secured victory with four wickets in hand and 12 balls to spare. With six wins in six matches and a place in the semifinal all but guaranteed, India next take on Sri Lanka on Thursday, with a win in Mumbai pretty much confirming them a place in the top four.
The only conundrum India face at this moment is surrounding their team combination. With Hardik Pandya injured, they have included Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami in their XI, with both players delivering crucial contributions. While Shami has been breathing fire, picking nine wickets in two games, Surya made up for his run out against the Kiwis with a crucial 49 against England. Surya’s rise at No. 6 will make the equation trickier once Hardik is back. Who goes out once he returns? Well, on current form it looks like the axe could fall on Shreyas Iyer. With scores of 0, 25, 53, 19, 33 and 4, Iyer has 134 runs at 33.5 while batting at No. 4 and his short-ball woes continue to persist.
Addressing Iyer’s challenges, former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that Shreyas must rectify this issue before it becomes a significant problem. Iyer’s susceptibility to short-pitched deliveries is a known concern, and Hussain’s advice for the 28-year-old is to swiftly find a solution to prevent other teams from exploiting this weakness, if they haven’t already.
“The worst one is the short ball because you know you’re going to get it everytime. It started with the Test series in England. Word spreads very quickly you know that there is a vulnerability against it,” Hussain said while speaking to the host broadcaster during the mid-innings interval of Tuesday’s World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Iyer appears fiercely determined to conquer his demons. He devoted two hours in the nets just two days before the match, diligently honing his skills to counter short-pitched deliveries. Hussain highlighted the cases of two highly accomplished former cricketers who successfully tackled their difficulties with bouncers, emphasising that Iyer’s path to improvement hinges on persistent practice.
“The more you play and the more you practice, some players get better at it. Suresh Raina when he first came in had issues against the short ball. He got better at it. Steve Waugh, whom I’ve played against so much, looked uncomfortable but we barely got him out in the end. He just got to work hard,” the former England captain pointed out.