India beat England in the five-match Test series© AFP
The recently concluded Test series between India and England was a tough test for the Bazball style of cricket made famous by the Ben Stokes-led side under coach Brendon McCullum. The visitors won the first Test in Hyderabad but were completely outplayed in the next four games as they slumped to their first series defeat in the ‘Bazball’ era. Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin pointed out a major flaw in Bazball as he explained in his latest YouTube videothat no form of cricket can be played in a similar pattern and the lack of adaptability ended up being the biggest problem for the England side.
“Test cricket, or any other form of cricket for that matter, cannot be played like an airplane on a runway. We cannot step on the pedal and accelerate till we take off! It’s the same as driving on highways. Sometimes, when I think of it, is it because of how they drive in England? Driving in England is bliss. No one comes in between. You can keep driving in the same lane. We cannot overtake on the left. They never expect unexpected things. If they see something unexpected, they crash. I have a feeling they will be very confused if they see how we drive in India,” Ashwin explained.
“In India you cannot always drive in the fourth gear. We keep changing gears. We always keep one foot on the brake. This concept is alien to them! Crawley always gets momentum, but cannot keep it going. Bazball is about the transfer of pressure onto the opponents. But after the transfer of pressure, what happens? They should be like, ‘we have to make them pay!’ If they manage to do that, then the game is on. This series would have gone their way with the inexperience we had (in our ranks). They had a huge chance. Even before they came here, they were down 0-2 in the Ashes and levelled it at 2-2. They then plundered Pakistan at their home. But this series loss is something that Ben Stokes and Co could learn from,” he added.
Meanwhile, a nine-wicket haul in his 100th Test match helped Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin re-claim the top spot in the bowlers’ list of the latest ICC rankings on Wednesday.
Ashwin was at his best throughout the Dharamsala contest against England as the experienced right-armer picked up four wickets in the first innings and then a 36th five-wicket haul in the second innings as India cruised to a dominant triumph in the fifth and final Test of their series.
The big haul helped Ashwin move past teammate Jasprit Bumrah into the premier position that he previously held earlier this year, the ICC said in a statement.
(With PTI inputs)
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