"He is stubborn, aggressive, sharp as a razor and volatile. And he can bat," wrote Mike Selvey in The Guardian. "Give him a point to prove and he will move heaven and earth to do it. Present an irretrievable situation and he will endeavour to claw it back somehow." After an unsubtle dig at the press during his last innings at Lord's, Nasser Hussain yesterday found a far more eloquent retort for his critics. His second century in 12 days, an innings that rescued England from a position of some peril, drew unanimous praise from all quarters - praise that centred on the very same character traits that have drawn criticism in the one-day game.

"Innings by innings, match by match, series by series, Nasser Hussain is establishing himself as one of the hard men of cricket," wrote Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times. "When conditions are inimical or when, as yesterday, they are benign but his side is faltering, he has developed the ability to bend matches his way by sheer determination."

"It was not the captain's most fluent innings in England colours," remarked Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph, adding that it contained more slices than a Hovis loaf. "But," he concluded, "it bled character." Angus Fraser in The Independent agreed: "With a dressing-room resembling an Accident and Emergency ward … Hussain showed again why he is a figure to admire and inspire."

After a week spent watching the Open at Muirfield, Selvey couldn't resist slipping in a golfing analogy: "For his first 50 runs or so, [Hussain] made a difficult business look just that, in the way Nick Faldo in his pomp could do. Look, he seemed to be saying, I want you to understand what hard graft this is; I am coming through against the odds."

Hussain's innings was all the more remarkable given that he suffered from an acute attack of cramp towards the late afternoon, and the Daily Mail left no-one in any doubt about his fighting qualities: "Nasser the hero bats on through his pain," announced their back-page headline. "Everyone agrees that Nasser should bat wherever he wants in England's Test side," wrote Mike Dickson on the inside pages, "and admiration for his performances can only have increased."

The Indian press, who described Hussain as "sizzling" and "delicious" during England's tour last winter, were less effusive on this occasion, but appreciative nonetheless: "Hussain played a polished innings," wrote Saubhagya Mohan Kala in The Times of India, "in stark contrast to the ton that he got against India in the NatWest final."

The Indian Express, meanwhile. summed it all up very succinctly: "It was Nasser Hussain's day."

Andrew Miller is editorial assistant of Wisden.com

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