Brendon McCullum backs Jonny Bairstow after his poor Test form
England head coach Brendon McCullum has backed Jonny Bairstow to discover his form again in the ongoing five-game Test series against India. The wicketkeeper-battler made 0 and 4 in the third Test in Rajkot which England lost by 434 runs, thereby allowing India to take a 2-1 lead.
Ben Stokes, meanwhile, had anticipated great things for Bairstow at the beginning of the India series. The England captain thought Bairstow could stop his rough patch if he played only as a batter, with Ben Foakes taking the gloves.
“We saw what we managed to get out of him, and I don’t want him to worry about anything other than batting at five, getting runs and what’s in front of him in the here and now,” Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
McCullum provided clear information that Bairstow will keep his spot in the starting XI for what would be his 99th Test cap ahead of the fourth Test in Ranchi starting on Friday.
“You know I can’t answer that, I haven’t even seen the wicket. But I’d anticipate Jonny would be playing, yes,” McCullum said when asked about Bairstow’s position.
“Yeah look, he’s not scored the volume of runs he would have wanted and a couple of times he’s got out kind of mildly for someone who’s got the power game Jonny’s got. I don’t have concerns over him. I’m not blind but he’s done so well for us and he’s had such an impactful career. We know that a top-quality Jonny Bairstow is as good as anyone in any conditions. So from our point of view, we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise as well and keep him really present and focused on what he’s trying to achieve, and I’m sure Jonny will come good,” he added.
