Bazball. The hype around it has been surreal in recent times. It is as if by being aggressive with both bat and ball, irrespective of the match situation, England will blow the opposition away. The approach, as expected, is condition agnostic. The win in the first Test match in Hyderabad had only added to the Bazball narrative and to the aura around it. Did it push the players to a degree of brazenness? Isn’t there a very thin line between bravado and silliness?
Playing a reverse scoop at 224-2 can’t be anything but brazenness. It is a shot that is fraught with risk, and when it is played by one of the best ever, it defies logic. If there was one moment in the Rajkot Test which could be classified as a turning point or a brain-fade moment, it had to be Joe Root getting out playing that shot to Jasprit Bumrah. Had Root stayed on for another hour, England may not even have conceded a first innings lead. That’s why one has to doubt Bazball. If it doesn’t make for flexibility and prudence, it can’t work as a strategy for too long. Obstinacy can breed false aggression but can’t create a winning mantra for years.
England needed to grind it out on day 3. They weren’t willing to. They wanted to play Bazball even when the situation demanded a more pragmatic approach. It is only natural that Test cricket will “test” them, and they need to know how to adapt. Unless you adapt and play ugly, very rarely will you win a Test match. India lost the first Test, rather than England winning it, and in the second and third games, Bazball stood exposed.
Root is the best example of why Bazball doesn’t work. He did not get 25 of his 30 hundreds playing Bazball. He got them playing quality cricket, and is one of the best of our generation. For him to change his game when he has forever been a perfect Test player is plain illogical. That’s what Bazball has pushed England to do. Be uniform and forget the unique skill sets that certain players have. While it may work in England, it will always be a challenge on the sub-continent.
Just like India gave it away in Hyderabad, in Rajkot it was England that wasted an opportunity. The way Root got out in Vizag and again in Rajkot spoke of a certain mindset. Even when it isn’t working, he isn’t ready to change because his side doesn’t want him to. That’s where Bazball is falling short. For England’s sake you need the old Root – the classical Test-match batter who doesn’t need Bazball to score. All he needs are his technique and temperament, and Brendon McCullum needs to give his premier batter the confidence to play like he used to.
Ravindra Jadeja did well to shut out all the negative stuff from social media and did the star turn in the Rajkot Test!
✍️ @g_rajaraman#INDvsENG #INDvENGTest #RavindraJadeja @imjadeja https://t.co/7yUfej1tQn— RevSportz (@RevSportz) February 19, 2024
On the surface, there is no significant change in Root’s numbers before and after Bazball. If anything, his average has gone up a smidgen. But consider this. The same Root who once averaged 50 in India (10 Tests), 65.50 in Sri Lanka (5 Tests) and 57.40 in the UAE (3 Tests) has made a dismal 202 runs in 11 knocks in Pakistan and India since England adopted Bazball. He’s thrived in England and New Zealand, but come a cropper on slow, subcontinent pitches where pre-meditation is never a bright idea.
Frankly, India wouldn’t mind Bazball. In fact, they should welcome it. They know that if they stop England for a few overs, a false shot will come. A suicidal run will be attempted, and that will give India a chance. And the mindset is such that England won’t change the plan. In fact, the question is whether they even have a plan B? Does Bazball have a fall-back option? Do they know to play any other way?
In many ways, Ranchi will also be a Test for Bazball. And for McCullum. Can he encourage his boys to adapt, or will they stay true to the only way they know how to play, a way that hasn’t worked in India? India will be content doing what they did in the second and third Tests, and will hope that England continue to make the same mistakes. Bazball was expected to win them the series. Against a depleted India, it could be the reason England end up losing it.
Two or three years ago, India’s pace-bowling stocks were the envy of most. Now, they’re so severely depleted that resting #JaspritBumrah in Ranchi could cost India a Test match and more.
✍️ @BoriaMajumdar#INDvENGTest @Jaspritbumrah93 https://t.co/CfO0bbrJ6q— RevSportz (@RevSportz) February 19, 2024