Bazball works for England because their management: R Ashwin

The advent of England’s innovative Bazball approach to Test cricket, spearheaded by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes since June 2022, has yielded remarkable victories over cricketing giants such as South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Australia. Their enthralling style has captured the global audience’s imagination and turned them into a thrilling and captivating team.

Yet, the idea of adopting this approach hasn’t found the same support among other teams. Veteran Indian cricketer R Ashwin discussed the impracticality of India embracing this unorthodox method. He argued that Indian Test cricket is different and transitioning into such a style may bring various challenges.

Ashwin highlighted India’s strong Test cricket performance but cautioned about an impending transition phase where challenges might arise. He questioned whether India possesses the same patience as England. Bazball allowed them to work through initial hiccups under Ben Stokes and McCullum.

England’s high-risk, high-reward tactics create gripping contests like the recent Ashes series. However, India’s approach has already borne fruit both at home and abroad, with notable victories in England and Australia. Players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer exhibit the ability to adapt their game according to the situation and prefer not to be tied to a singular style.

“That’s how our culture has always been. So, we can’t copy others’ style of play just because it worked for them,” Ashwin remarked candidly in his Youtube video. He emphasised the need for complete backing from management, selectors, and the crowd for a new style to succeed.

“It works for them because their management is fully in with this style of play. Their selectors back the players to play this way,” added Ashwin.