Despite all the good things this England team has done to make people want to watch their games, they are currently second in the World Test Championship table and, for me, results are still the most important currency .
In the end, all sports teams are judged by their statistics. How they end at the end of a season or a series. In cricket, how many runs you scored, the wickets you took.
Yes, you will inevitably get people talking about the style you played and rightly so, and that’s where the likes of Shane Warne, Ian Botham and Brian Lara come into the conversation.
This England team has also provided excellent viewing over the last two years, but the win-loss ratio is the most important thing in my opinion, so they need to get the score against India back to 3-2 in Dharamshala this week .
Of course, they will still have lost the series, but they can then point to the third day of the third and fourth Tests, when they let things slip on each occasion, as justification that they were competitive throughout the five matches. route. They just didn’t take advantage of their opportunities.
England have entertained since Ben Stokes (pictured) partnered Brendon McCullum, but still sit second in the World Test Championship standings.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain claims a 4-1 defeat will make the gulf between the sides look huge.
However, they return home with a 4-1 defeat and the gulf between the two sides seems enormous. Inevitably, England will feel the same old story in India.
Things got out of hand after England won the series opener in India three years ago, but this time they must tell themselves that there is no such thing as a dead tire and pick the best XI to win this game, without worrying about the future, who will play in The Ashes in the future, or give someone a chance.
This will be a big occasion for Jonny Bairstow. Anyway, he is an emotional cricketer, as we have seen over the years, and reaching 100 Test matches after all the ups and downs he has been through will make his family incredibly proud.
He polarizes opinion at times, but he has done virtually everything England have asked of him, whether as a batsman or as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
Because of his late father David and his relationship with conservation, he has always been reluctant to give up gloves.
But because of his brilliance with the bat during an international career of incredible innings (think six hundreds in eight appearances in 2022 or his first hundred in Cape Town alongside Ben Stokes in 2016), the debate over his best role in the team has persisted.
However, this is a big game for him. Before that, some people say that this could be a case of 100 or more, and he will know it.
India has a chance to achieve a second consecutive series victory 4-1 over England at home.
Jonny Bairstow will make his 100th Test for England this week in Dharamshala.
Bairstow has had a tough series, with the keeper failing to reach a half-century so far.
There are generally two types of cricketers. Those who say they don’t read the media worry about outside noise or pay attention to experts.
But he is one of the others. Someone who reads everything and loves to prove people wrong, so if he can control his emotions, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes back to silencing the doubters.
The next Test series against the West Indies is four months away, and a lot can happen in the meantime, but if you want to guarantee your presence this summer, you need runs because if everyone is fit, England will have too many batsmen in the mix. for the selection of the first six.
Harry Brook, a player who represents the future, has to return in all formats and that means one of the others gives way.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have done well, so the openers won’t step aside, nor will Stokes or Joe Root.
Ollie Pope may be the vice-captain, but to be honest, he is the other one who needs a score, because after that 196 in Hyderabad, he looks surprisingly skittish.
Likewise, if Bairstow smashes the ball in the IPL and Twenty20 World Cup, England coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes may feel he is the kind of cricketer they still want in their team.
Joe Root will not stray from his position as England’s No 4 and scored a fine century in the fourth Test.
McCullum and Stokes may feel that Bairstow is the type of batsman they still want in their team despite their struggles in this series.
And for all the plaudits from Ben Foakes this winter, given the way Bairstow bats with the lower order and, indeed, the way he has batted in England over the last two seasons, there is still an argument for playing with the Yorkshireman as home porter.
However, that is a debate that will be revived at a later date. In the here and now, it is essential that England win again on Indian soil.
MY FIVE FAVORITE TEST COURSES
With its backdrop of the Himalayas, Dharamshala, where England conclude their Test tour of India this week, is home to one of the most picturesque sporting venues in the world. It is among NASSER HUSSAIN’S five favorite cricket venues.
Here is their complete list:
Dharamsala: Although I never visited as a player, I commented there during last year’s World Cup and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more picturesque field. The town itself, the hills and the walk to it are magnificent.
The tourists will hope to end the series on a high with a win over India in Dharamshala.
Mister: The way they combine old and new is phenomenal. Everything about the way they do things is just brilliant.
Cape Town: Newlands is flanked by the old brewery and Table Mountain rises in the distance. Generally, the weather is also perfect for cricket.
Sydney: The SCG is ideal for passers-by, as the lights have a spectacular effect when they hit the green roof of the old pavilion.
Old Rec, Old: You could smell the history of the place. I was on the course when Brian Lara hit his world records of 375 and 400, and since it was right in the middle of town, it created a great atmosphere.
The way old and new come together at Lord’s, the iconic home of cricket, is phenomenal.
Table Mountain looms in the distance at Newlands, where the weather is generally perfect for playing cricket.
The SCG stands out among night owls, as the lights have a spectacular effect when they hit the green roof of the old pavilion.
The Old Rec in Antigua is right in the center of town, so Brian Lara’s record-breaking test scores created a great atmosphere.