Unraveling the ‘Bazball’ enigma: Can it thrive in India?

England boasts a commendable record of winning 13 matches and losing just four of the 18 Tests under ‘Bazball.’

The question shouldn’t be whether ‘Bazball’ will work in India or not; the question should be, “If not ‘Bazball,’ then what?”

Ever since Ben Stokes replaced Joe Root to become England’s 81st Test captain, followed by Brendon McCullum assuming the role of Head Coach in May 2022, England’s Test team has commanded attention from every corner of the world. Sporting a new style of cricket, the No.3 ranked team is yet to lose a series since the pair took over, maintaining a scoring rate of 4.82, reminiscent of ODI cricket.

It all started with England thrashing New Zealand 3-0 at home, followed by chasing 378 in a stunning 78 overs against India in the rescheduled 5th Test at Birmingham, saving the series.

But it was the Pakistan tour when ‘Bazball’ really emerged as more than just a concept, as the ‘Three Lions’ whitewashed the ‘Men in Green’ 3-0, proving that ‘Bazball’ can indeed be effective on foreign soil as well. With the series win, the Stokes-led side made it loud and clear that this is how they are going to play their cricket.

But the real question is, how often have England played on wickets that suit the bowlers?

Much like England’s white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan, which flourished by playing on more batting-friendly wickets and exhibiting greater intent, the McCullum-Stokes combo sought to implement a similar approach in the longest format, and they did find success.

However, the sheen came off a bit when the new-look England lost the Ashes opener in Birmingham, marked by Stokes’ blindsiding declaration, followed by another defeat at Lord’s after England’s moronic display of blind aggression.

The English eventually failed to win the Ashes at home, and now there are questions about whether they can stand up against the might of India’s spin attack consisting of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, in the high-profile Test series, which is now just a sleep away.

Unlike the England team of 2012 that handed India their last Test series loss at home, the current squad lacks the skillset of Cook, Pietersen, Bell, Trott and Prior.

Hence, the pressing question: “If not ‘Bazball,’ then what?”

England’s Preparations

England boasts a commendable record of winning 13 matches and losing just 4 out of the 18 Tests under ‘Bazball.’ However, the team might feel under-confident as they haven’t played any Test cricket since the conclusion of the Ashes in July. Moreover, they did not get any practice games in India either.

Nonetheless, the squad recently regrouped in Abu Dhabi to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the five-match long tour.