Former England captain Nasser Hussain has hit out at Ben Duckett for his remark suggesting that India's young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal's aggressive approach in the Rajkot Test was influenced by England's Bazball strategy.
Jaiswal's scintillating unbeaten double century propelled India to a resounding victory, leaving England to face a crushing 434-run defeat in the third Test of the ongoing series.
Speaking at the end of day three of the Rajkot Test Duckett had praised Jaiswal for his century, but also said "when you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we [England] should take some credit that they’re playing differently than how other people play Test cricket.
Reacting strongly to Duckett's remark, Hussain said Jaiswal's success stems from his own upbringing, hard work, and experiences in tournaments like the IPL, rather than any influence from England's tactics.
"The comment on Jaiswal that he has learned from us, I am going to touch on that. He has not learned from you, he has learned from his upbringing and all the hard yards he has put in while growing up, he has learned from the IPL. If anything, I would look at him and learn from him," Hussain said during a discussion with former England cricketer Michael Atherton on Sky Sports.
Jaiswal's stellar performance in the series has seen him emerge as the leading run-scorer, amassing a total of 545 runs at an exceptional average of 109 and a strike rate of over 80.
Addressing England's lackluster display in the series, Hussain urged the Ben Stokes-led squad to analyse their mistakes and make necessary adjustments ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi.
"Whatever they are saying in public and in that dressing room, I hope they are going back into their room with self-introspection. Otherwise, it becomes a cult, doesn’t it? At times, Bazball has been described as a cult where you cannot criticise either within or externally. Even in this regime, there is room for learning and improving," Hussain remarked.
With England aiming to bounce back after consecutive losses, the fourth Test is scheduled to kick off on Friday at Ranchi with an opportunity for England to level the series against a the hosts India.
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