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Anil Kumble wants England, their captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum to take a hard look in the mirror when it comes to ‘Bazball’ after India beat them by 5 wickets in the 4th Test in Ranchi to clinch the series of five games 3. -1 with a match to spare. Team India on Monday crushed the aura of invincibility that has surrounded England since McCullum took over. They took their unbeaten run to 17 series at home and handed the former New Zealand captain his first series defeat as a coach. Rohit Sharma and his unit have shown in the process why they are the toughest opponent to beat at home.
Bazball is not an official term. It is a term coined by McCullum’s nickname, ‘Baz’, and the aggressive style of batting implemented by England’s batsmen. And while seven consecutive series paid off, England learned the hard way why India, when playing at home, are a completely different beast. Bazball has received a lot of criticism from around the world, but that from Indian bowling legend Anil Kumble surely has to be one of the biggest reality checks for McCullum and Stokes.
“Look, the challenge when England came here was obvious. India is not going to be easy. Bazball, whatever you call it… but it is not going to be easy to beat India at home. That is the reason why India has been so dominant over the “The last decade, India never lost a series at home. They knew they had to be different but their bowling attack was certainly not something they believed could penetrate the Indian batting,” Kumble said while speaking to the host announcer.
“Once they knew that some of the senior players would not be available, with an inexperienced line-up, they had a chance, but the senior batsmen did not contribute consistently in that middle order, including Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and even Joe Root, apart from this test match, so that’s where I thought they missed a trick.”
With four series wins and three draws, Bazball had proven his point. This New England approach is fearless and the goal is to win at all costs. Even if the target is 400 off 45 overs, they will go for it. But while this all sounds good, Kumble stressed the need to respect the bowler, the opposition and the conditions. Root, England’s most successful Test batsman in India, was all over the place playing ‘Bazball’ but the moment he reverted to his old approach, he flourished with a century.
Kumble cites Gill’s example
For Kumble to prove his point, he needed to look no further than Shubman Gill. The Indian batsman, who loves to play shots, curbed his natural instincts as India, chasing 192 to win, were reduced to 120/5. Both he and Dhruv Jurel consumed 17 overs without hitting a single boundary and instead took singles to overcome the remaining runs brick by brick. So yes, it may still be early to attack Bazball, but England could really use some introspection.
“It’s nice to say ‘okay, this is the way I bat’. But you can’t do that all the time. Shubman Gill would have loved to pump every ball for a six off-spin, and I’m sure that the thought process was there, the intention was there. But you have to hold back. In Test cricket, that’s what it is. It’s all about situations and that’s what Root did in Ranchi. No wonder he has been successful. So it’s something England will have to discuss and consider. Not just about the aggressive approach but even about the defence,” added Kumble, India’s highest wicket-taker in Tests.