Hussain questions Kohli’s leadership in India’s defeat

“Kohli was phenomenal in this game. He deserved to be on the winning side for the way he played with the tail. He single-handedly brought India back into the Test match. I do think he should take some of the responsibility for the loss, though,” Hussain said.

“England were 87-7 with Curran and Adil Rashid at the crease and for some reason Ravichandran Ashwin went out of the game for an hour. India lost control then — he needs to look back on his captaincy and say ‘when I’ve got a bloke who averages 19 against left-handers and a 20-year-old left-hander on strike, why did I take him off?,” Hussain asked.

Talking about the enthralling battle over four days, Hussain said the game was a great advert for Test cricket. “The pitch has a lot to do with that — it wasn’t a flat belter — and so have the players. The standard of bowling and captaincy (has been great). I think Joe Root has been outstanding in this game.”

“A lot of times nowadays we see one side get ahead in Test matches and series and then the other doesn’t seem capable of fighting back. This match has switched one way and then the other.”

The use of the Dukes ball also added to the excitement, felt Hussain.

“The template for Test cricket has been set and I don’t see why the ICC can’t just use the Dukes ball around the world,” questioned Hussain.