Veteran Indian wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik, believes that England's approach to cricket, known as Bazball, goes beyond simply playing aggressively. According to Karthik, it is about striving to be the best version of oneself for as long as possible.
As the highly anticipated India-England five-match Test series commences in Hyderabad, much of the focus has been on the success of Bazball on Indian pitches. Historically, the Indian team has been dominant in their home conditions, boasting an unbeaten record in their last 16 Test series since their defeat to England in 2012-13.
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In an interview with the Indian Express prior to the first Test, Karthik shed light on the misconceptions surrounding the Bazball theory.
"Actually I feel that the word Bazball isn’t understood well. It doesn’t mean applying pressure. It is actually about trying to be the best version of yourself. It basically means, at times when you have to absorb pressure, be courageous enough to do it and do it your way. That is the messaging that is going around. It is not about scoring runs at 6 or 7 runs an over," said Karthik.
"It means if you sense that the opponent isn’t there in the game, then go for it but if they are on top and doing a good job, then try and see the best defensive version of yourself using the game you have. Don’t try to surrender trying to do something you are not good at. But be very confident of what you can do in those situations with your game. With the ball it is all about constantly trying ways to get wickets," he added.
Inspired by the former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Bazball emerged following his appointment as the Test coach for England, with Ben Stokes taking on the role of captain.
This dynamic duo has orchestrated a remarkable revival in England's red-ball cricket, leading the team to victory in an impressive 13 out of 18 Tests since their partnership began in mid-2022.
Dinesh Karthik believes that England's baseball approach will lead to days where India will completely dominate the visitors. He further emphasized that England's mental resilience and ability to bounce back the next day will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the series.
It is worth noting that England suffered comprehensive defeats in their previous two tours of India, with scores of 1-3 and 0-4 in 2020-21 and 2016-17, respectively.
"For any touring team to India that is going to be the biggest challenge. How you are able to understand that on days which don’t go yourway, how to come back and start afresh is the biggest challenge in India. Over here, as the Test match progresses, it is only going to get harder for batting. With the spinners India have, there are bound to be challenges for sure. But that is where they have to buckle down more mentally and come out and play their best game that they have done for the last 18 months," said Karthik.
"That will be a big challenge to them. There are going to be days when India completely dominates them and come next day, it will be up to England to show how they turn up. Whether the scars of the previous day are still fresh or they have gone past it and they come out fresh and do what they can," he added.
Both teams have suffered significant setbacks, as their star batsmen, Virat Kohli and Harry Brook, will be absent for the first two Tests (Kohli) and the entire series (Brook).
During their previous tour in 2020-21, England emerged victorious in the opening Test against India, only to subsequently lose three consecutive matches, resulting in a disappointing 1-3 series defeat.
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