Nasser Hussain can foresee a massive threat for England in the Southampton Test

England, after a couple of resounding victories against India at Edgbaston and Lord’s respectively, slumped at Trent Bridge in Nottingham and lost by 203 runs. The fourth and penultimate Test of the five-match series at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton is currently taking place and the Three Lions find themselves in a tricky position.

On the first day, the Indian bowlers reduced the Poms to 86/6 in 34.4 overs. However, the likes of Sam Curran and Moeen Ali lifted their team to 246. In India’s innings, Stuart Broad picked up a couple of wickets, but India crossed the 100-run mark with Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, accomplishing 6,000 runs in his 70th Test match.

So the key is first-innings runs

In the meantime, Nasser Hussain, the former English cricketer, reckons that Tamil Nadu-born off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin can be a massive threat if India manage a substantial lead. He mentioned that track can be dry underneath, a reason why the ground-staff left grass on the strip.

“Usually it takes quite a while for it to go from a pitch that is seaming and swinging to a pitch that is turning; this has gone from one to the other very quickly – mainly from the footholds.

But this is day two – so you can see why the groundsman left a bit of grass on it yesterday because it must be dry underneath. So the key is first-innings runs. If India get a lead, Ashwin becomes a massive threat,” Hussain was quoted as saying in Sky Sports.

Ashwin’s participation in the ongoing match wasn’t confirmed owing to the groin injury he developed during the Trent Bridge Test, but he eventually was drafted in, much to India’s relief. In the first innings, he picked up Moeen’s wicket and broke an 81-run stand between Ali and Sam Curran. The tweaker also picked up Curran to pull the curtains down on England’s first innings.

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