England give Bazball a miss to take on a resurgent India

(Image: ICC)

Bazball. The hype around it has been surreal in recent times. It is as if by being aggressive with both bat and ball, irrespective of the match situation, England will blow the opposition away. The approach, many believed, is condition agnostic. The win in the first Test match in Leeds had only added to the Bazball narrative and to the aura around it. Did it push the players to a degree of brazenness? Isn’t there a very thin line between bravado and silliness? Putting India in on a placid wicket in Edgbaston couldn’t be anything but brazenness. To play shots on the second evening in Birmingham was fraught with risk and when it was played by quality batters, it defied logic.

If there was one moment in the Birmingham Test, which can be labelled the turning point it was Root getting out to Akashdeep in what was a dream delivery. Had Root stayed on, England may not have lost the game. He was followed by his teammates either side who all played shots. That’s why one has to doubt Bazball. If it doesn’t make for flexibility and prudence, it can’t work as a strategy for too long. Obstinacy can breed false aggression but can’t create a winning mantra for years.

England understood it at Lord’s and yet again it was Root who proved why Bazball doesn’t always work. Root did not get 28 of his 30 plus hundreds playing Bazball. He got them playing quality cricket, and is one of the best of our generation. For him to change his game when he has forever been a perfect Test player is plain illogical. That’s what Bazball has pushed England to do. Be uniform and forget the unique skill sets that certain players have. While it may work on occasions, it will always be a challenge in conditions that demand attritional cricket. Lord’s was one such and it forced England to shun Bazball.

Frankly, India wouldn’t mind Bazball. In fact, they should welcome it. They know that if they stop England for a few overs, a false shot will come. And the mindset is such that England won’t change the plan. Until yesterday. In fact, the question is whether they even had a plan B in Birmingham? Does Bazball have a fall-back option? Do they know to play any other way? In many ways, Lord’s will also be a Test for Bazball. And for McCullum. Can he encourage his boys to adapt, or will they stay true to the only way they know how to play, a way that hasn’t worked against India? India will be content doing what they did in the second Test and will hope that England continue to make the same mistakes. Bazball was expected to win them the series. Against a resurgent India, it could be the reason England end up losing it. And that’s why we have now seen it change with Root leading the way back to conventional Test cricket.

It was one of those days when things did not move at a rapid pace. Rather, it was back to the days of 3 runs an over when boundaries were hard to come by. Some fans did not like it and spent a few more pounds on drinks and soaking in the sun in the nursery ground. For others, it was about trying to rediscover the past. For India and England it was about who blinks first. India stayed disciplined while Stokes and Root managed to stay steadfast. With the second new ball just three overs old, the contest is all set to resume on the second morning, which could have a telling impact on the game. Bumrah versus Root round two, Bazball or not, is no less fascinating.