ENG vs IND | Nasser Hussain believes Ben Stokes is trying to set a tone for England

Former England star Nasser Hussain has claimed that England's Test captain Ben Stokes is trying to set the roadmap for the Three Lions in the longer format. On Sunday, July 3, Stokes tried to take on the Indian bowling attack but could only score 25 runs off 36 balls, which included three boundaries.

During his innings, Stokes gave India two chances to dismiss him. However, Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur dropped catches and gave the veteran batter two lifelines. But, Stokes ran out of luck eventually and got out to Thakur.

"Ben Stokes is trying to set a tone for England, he's trying to send a message to his team that, in doubt, they can take the positive attacking approach. So, I understand why he is batting like this, unlike Kevin Pietersen, who feels that he should bat like Ben Stokes, who is a very sensible cricketer. Remember the knock in Headingley, he had one run-off 62 and then he smashed Australia everywhere," Nasser Hussain stated.

Hussain also added that Jonny Bairstow is currently going through a purple patch, living up to the expectations of Ben Stokes and England Test head coach Brendon McCullum. Bairstow smashed centuries in their last Test series against New Zealand, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter of the series.

"Jonny Bairstow is in the form of his life. He epitomises what McCullum and Stokes want, positive, but not reckless batting. There has been no reckless batting from Bairstow this summer, he has been brilliant," he stated.

Hussain believes that if India can set a target of over 300 for England, it wouldn't be easy for the hosts, especially in the last two days of the match.

"With all the rain we have had, it's only like a day two pitch at the moment, so I think spin will come into play. So, if India can get that lead above 300, then they have the battery of fast bowlers, then they have also got Jadeja bowling on a fourth day, fifth-day pitch," Hussain concluded.