Bayliss hails Rajkot Test as England's best performance in his tenure

Trevor Bayliss has hailed England's performance in the first Test against India as "the best since I've been with the team."

Appointed just ahead of the 2015 Ashes, Bayliss' period in charge as coach has seen notable victories over Australia at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, and an impressive win over South Africa in Johannesburg. But although England were held to a draw in Rajkot, Bayliss was delighted with the commitment shown by the side in gruelling conditions and on surfaces on which English players traditionally struggle.

And, so impressed was Bayliss with the improvement in his team since the defeat in Dhaka, he suggested it proved England could win the series if they maintained that level of performance.

"Win, lose or draw, I thought effort-wise that's probably the best performance we've had since I've been with the team," Bayliss said.

"The way the guys played in this Test should give us plenty of confidence. Our batters played well against their spinners, and our spinners and seamers all bowled well. We acquitted ourselves very well.

"We're under no illusions that these next four Tests could be even tougher than this one. But if we put in more performances like that, we'll probably be playing consistent cricket - and that's what we're after - and we'll have a chance of winning more games. So we've got to continue putting in that effort. But if we do, we've a chance of winning."

Bayliss was particularly effusive in his praise for new opening batsman Haseeb Hameed. The 19-year-old debutant scored more than 100 runs in the match and evoked in Bayliss some of the same characteristics of Kumar Sangakkara, who he worked with during his time as Sri Lanka coach.

"It's early days for Hameed," Bayliss said. "But the early signs are that he's a very, very good player.

"For one so young, 19, his composure is very good. He knows how his game works - something that players years in advance of him would like to have - and without wanting to put too much pressure on him, the signs are good.

"He's one of those batters, a little bit like a Sangakkara, who just loves batting. Whether it's in the nets, having throwdowns or with a tennis ball in the changing room, he just loves to have a bat in his hand.

"It was obviously a very good start. He's been with the squad for about six weeks, but it feels like he's been here for two or three years - he's got that type of a personality."

Without committing himself, Bayliss hinted England may well stick to the same XI for the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which starts from November 17. Stating he liked the idea of playing three spinners of varying types - England picked an offspinner (Moeen Ali), a left-arm spinner (Zafar Ansari) and a legspinner (Adil Rashid) in Rajkot - his words suggested Gareth Batty (also an offspinner) may miss out again.

"We went with these three guys, but we could very easily have gone with Batty," Bayliss said. "He's actually also been bowling quite well. But we thought on this occasion we would have a look at a spinner of each type and those three performed well in this game."

James Anderson also looks set for more frustration. While England are encouraged by his progress, he may have to wait until the third Test to make his return from injury with Bayliss requiring a little more evidence before selecting him as one of a three-man seam attack in tough conditions.

"We'll assess him in the next couple of days," Bayliss said. "But from all reports, he's been bowling well in the nets. The medical staff say he's in better shape than he was when he came back and played against Pakistan. We'll put him through his paces again. He's a guy who's always looked after himself, so he's nicely fit."