Hussain calls for adaptable thinking from England

Nasser Hussain has urged Michael Vaughan to do "whatever it takes" to beat India - even if it means resorting to media manipulation. Writing in the March edition of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Hussain says that the Ganguly issue could be something that England's captain chooses to focus on in press conferences to try to unsettle the Indian side.

"The Ganguly issue seems to be bubbling away all the time," writes Hussain. "Vaughan might have to be a bit clever with his press conferences by mentioning Ganguly. If you get the Kolkata public and media backing Ganguly, that could make things awkward for India. You have to play the Indian politics game and use it to your advantage."

Hussain draws on his experience in India in 2001-02, a series England lost 1-0, to suggest that the team must use every tactic at their disposal on the field, too, no matter how controversial. "You must keep control, especially in the field," he says. "You have to try to silence the crowd by drying the runs up. Occasionally put men on the boundary or bowl to a 7-2 field or now and then have a left-arm spinner bowl over the wickets into the rough. Whatever it takes.

"I know that I pushed the limits of the spirit of the game," he admits, "but we did the job."

One tactic that Hussain hopes England do not jettison is the sweep shot, although it did not pay off on their Pakistan tour. "There was a lot of talk about England batsmen getting out to the sweep at Lahore and it annoyed me," he writes. "The sweep is a crucial weapon in the subcontinent - when the ball is turning. Where England went wrong at Lahore was that it wasn't turning. At Mumbai, on a turned against Harbhajan, hitting down the ground is very difficult."

Further lessons must be learned from the Pakistan tour - and fast. "At Multan in the first Test they didn't think. Maybe they let their personalities get ahead of ruthless thinking about how to stay in control and finish a game off. They must be adaptable and in effect become two types of players in one. And England's batsmen are good enough to do that now. In India they must swallow their egos and adapt their game to the situation."

Key to England's success will be Marcus Trescothick, Hussain believes. "When Trescothick is at the crease in the subcontinent England look much more in control. He allows less experienced players to bed in, sweeps a lot and has the right balance between attack and defence. But he more than anyone needs to keep his energy levels going throughout the tour. It was noticeable in Pakistan that Trescothick faded a bit towards the end, as he has on other tours."

Hussain also has some advice for Andrew Flintoff. "He remains the heartbeat of the side and it will be interesting to see how he handles the next year, with his benefit taking up a lot of time and a second baby on the way. He is now a proper sporting superstar and his lifestyle management will be crucial to whether he and the team succeed."