Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the greatest off-spinners in modern-day cricket speaks on the “Bazball” approach from England’s players but also reveals that it won’t work in India.
England’s revolutionary Bazball strategy in Test cricket, pioneered by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes since June 2022, has led to impressive victories over formidable cricketing nations like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Australia. Their captivating and thrilling style of play has captivated audiences worldwide, transforming them into an exciting and captivating team.
Despite England’s success with this approach, other teams have been hesitant to embrace it. R Ashwin, a seasoned Indian cricketer, has expressed reservations about India adopting this unconventional method. He believes that the dynamics of Indian Test cricket are different, and transitioning into such a style may pose several challenges.
Ashwin acknowledged India’s strong performance in Test cricket but warned about a potential transition phase that could bring its own set of challenges. He raised questions about whether India possesses the same level of patience as England, which played a crucial role in allowing them to overcome initial obstacles under the leadership of Ben Stokes and McCullum.
“We are playing Test cricket very well. But we will go through a transition soon. And things won’t be easy during that phase. There will be a few issues here and there. But let’s assume India adopts Bazball during this phase. Let us assume a player throws his bat at everything like Harry Brook and gets out and we lose two Test matches. What will we do? Will we back Bazball and the players?,” asked Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
“We will drop at least four players from our playing XI. That’s how our culture has always been. We can’t copy others’ style of play just because it worked for them. It works for them because their management is fully in with this style of play, their selectors back the players to play this way. In fact, even their crowd and Test match watching public are backing the team in this process. But we can’t do this,” he further added.
