Nasser Hussain asks India to bring an Eoin Morgan-type character

Scenes after India's exit from T20 WC (Source: AP)

India's timid outing against England in the semifinal game of the T20 World Cup 2022 has raised thousands of questions regarding India's approach to playing T20I cricket. Some have suggested going with MS Dhoni's style, while others have asked them to play Eoin Morgan-Esque cricket. The latest to put an opinion to the debate is former England captain turned pundit Nasser Hussain. 

Hussain, who has a sharp intellect for the game, while decoding India's mindset in the knockouts, said they need to play carefree cricket and not worry about the noise.

While talking to Michael Atherton on Sky Sports Cricket, the former English skipper pointed out various reasons, but also called that the Men in Blue still are a massive force. 

“India is still a massive force. You look at their team on paper. You look at the players they could've picked. There were a couple of blows like most sides had, like Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja being injured. But, when it comes to knockout games, the approach needs to change," opined the former English skipper. 

England, too, went through the same slump when they were knocked out of the 2015 World Cup by the hands of minnows Bangladesh. They then, under Eoin Morgan's leadership, did a complete revamp where they removed 'cautious cricket' from their white-ball setup. Hussain has asked the Rohit Sharma and company to do the same. 

“There's talk about younger guns coming through but it's not the players, but the mindset. They need an Eoin Morgan-type character to go in there and say play carefree cricket. 20 overs, go and smash it as much as you can for 20 overs. Play like you play in the IPL and smash it. Do it for India and don't worry about the noise. Shut out the noise and we'll be back if you are bowled out for 120,” he stressed.

The Men in Blue have their first assignment after the heartbreak in Australia against New Zealand, starting November 18. Against the Black Caps, India will be headed by Hardik Pandya in the T20Is, while Shikhar Dhawan will be leading them in the ODI format.

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