England’s ‘bazball’ has begun arguably its biggest challenge as they begin the first Test of the 5-match series on Thursday. While England’s new attacking approach in Tests, brought by head coach Brendon McCullum, has reaped excellent rewards against other teams, doing the same against Indian spinners in the subcontinent is a bigger task. India skipper Rohit Sharma already stated that the way England plays isn’t their concern but the story of the five-match series will be ‘Bazball’ against spin. But, if there’s a team capable of doing this, it’s England, the only side that had last won a Test series in India, back in 2012.
The last time England ended with a series win on the Indian soil, it was because of how Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted against India’s bowling attacking, producing near-perfection but the series fell in the visitors’ favour primarily because of the spin duo of Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann, as well as pacer James Anderson’s heroics with the ball.
Since that result, no team has beaten India in a Test series in the subcontinent. Australia managed to almost draw a Test series on Indian soil in 2016/17.
What is Bazball?
The foundation of Bazball remains in the freedom to choose what style of play a player chooses to produce. In the past, England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow aptly described it as a sense of freedom, allowing players to do what they think is best without the fear of failure.
Such freedom has resulted in faster scoring rates for England. In a match against Pakistan, England scored a staggering 506 runs for four wickets on the first day, setting a record for the highest runs scored by a team in a day in Test cricket history.
But, Bazball isn’t just limited to batting. Since McCullum became the team’s head coach, England has adopted aggressive field placements and bowling changes. On many occasions, the aggressive field placements earned England prized wickets, putting them in the driving seat or getting out of precarious situations.
When it comes to Bazball, it’s fair to say that playing for draw is out of picture. Stokes’ bold declarations in multiple matches, especially against Australia in the past, showcased his unwillingness to let the game stagnate or drift. The Day/Night Test at the Oval against New Zealand is also an example.
But, can such an approach work in Indian conditions, where spinners dominate the proceedings? It would be interesting to see.
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