Former England captain Nasser Hussain has spoken about Jonny Bairstow’s batting struggles ahead of the fifth and final Test against India. Nasser Hussain declared that Jonny Bairstow has the potential to silence his doubters once again during his 100th Test match.

Jonny Bairstow will become England’s 17th cricketer and the fourth in the current team to play 100 Test matches after James Anderson, Joe Root and Ben Stokes. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman made his Test debut for England against the West Indies in 2012.

The 34-year-old has represented England in 99 Test matches in his career. The right-handed batsman has scored 5974 runs at a decent average of 36.43, with 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries. He played as a wicketkeeper-batsman in more than half of the matches.

It will be a great occasion for Jonny Bairstow – Nasser Hussain

In his column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain highlighted Jonny Bairstow’s resilience amid the ups and downs of his career. Hussain recognized Bairstow’s versatility as a specialist batsman and as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

“This will be a great 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 sometimes polarizes opinion, but he has done virtually everything England has asked of him, whether as a batsman or batsman,” Hussain has written in his column.

“Generally, there are 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 silences the doubters again,” he added.

Bairstow has faced significant challenges in the ongoing series, scoring just 170 runs in eight innings at an average just above 21 and no half-centuries. His disappointing performance coincided with England’s problems, resulting in a series defeat.

The Ben Stokes-led team began the five-match series with a 28-run win during the series opener in Hyderabad. However, the visitors could not continue their winning momentum as they suffered three consecutive defeats, conceding a 3-1 series lead against India.

Jonny Bairstow needs runs because – Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain said Bairstow’s position in the Test team could be in jeopardy with the rise of young talent. He stressed the importance of Bairstow scoring runs to secure his place in the team for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.

“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 on the field. mix for the selection of the top six,” concluded Hussain.

The fifth and final Test between England and India is scheduled to begin on Thursday, March 7 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.

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