Haseeb Hameed wanted to stay back for last 2 Tests: Trevor Bayliss

England coach Trevor Bayliss recently heaped praise on the young opener Haseeb Hameed. Hameed performed exceptionally well in the 3 Tests that he played in the series. His gritty 82 in the Rajkot Test when he made his debut was phenomenal. Coming into the third Test, he injured his finger. Despite that, the young lad walked into bat and scored a battling 59.

No wonder why the cricket greats are in praise for the young opener. However, the finger injury has ruled him out from the remainder of the series. Talking about the intensity of the injury, Bayliss remarked that the finger is broken badly. He admitted that the English side risked him by sending him to bat in the 2nd innings of the Mohali Test.

“It’s a break that is all the way through the finger – the finger’s in two pieces. Possibly, with hindsight it was a risk to bat today. If you’d have seen him in the change-room though you wouldn’t have thought there was anything wrong with him,” quoted coach Trevor Bayliss.

He further added that Hameed has a great temperament. Praising him, the coach mentioned, “A couple of headache tablets and out he went. Obviously he’s got a big pain threshold. He wants to stay and play the last two Tests, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wants to stay. We’ll make sure he gets back and gets it done so he’s right to go early next season.”

Speaking about how Haseeb Hameed managed to bat, the coach revealed that Hameed had a few net sessions with the broken finger. He changed his batting grip to ensure minimal pressure on the finger.

“He was sore yesterday, he went over to net three times and the first two times weren’t too successful. He was working out a way how to play with his little finger off the bat. Once he did that he was quite comfortable. It’s a hell of a skill to have – to change the way you play to combat that,” conceded Bayliss.

English skipper Alastair Cook was also in all praise for Haseeb Hameed. He called it unfortunate to have lost him midway in the series. “It’s desperately unlucky. He has impressed us all with his technique, talent and now his bravery and shown when he’s playing for England he will do anything to get out there. To play like that was a very special knock,” remarked Cook.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was in awe of the 19-year old youngster. Kohli said that the rookie batsman showed he is a future star. He commended him for being courageous and batting it out with James Anderson in the Mohali Test. “He’s showed great character for a 19-year-old. He put his hand up when his team wanted him to do it and the way he played with Anderson showed great maturity. You can sense it as a captain: this guy is intelligent, this guy knows the game,” said Kohli.

“He’s a great prospect for England. He’s definitely going to be a future star in all forms if he keeps persisting with his skill. I’m really impressed and that’s why I patted him on the back. It was an innings full of character and something that you need to applaud,” added Kohli.