Kris Srikkanth, the ex-Indian captain, has dismissed the possibility of England making a comeback in the five-match series following their defeat in the Rajkot Test.
Despite their initial 28-run victory in Hyderabad, the visitors faced consecutive losses in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot, trailing 1-2 in the series. The substantial 434-run defeat in the third Test has raised doubts about the effectiveness of the Bazball approach on Indian pitches.
On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth rejected the hype around Bazball and playfully suggested that England might consider catching the next flight home to evade a resounding series defeat.
“If possible, they can catch the next flight home. But, they have to play the remaining two Tests. I think this Bazball and all that are theories that they propagated. Where has it worked? Did it work in the Ashes? Frankly speaking, no strategy can work if they continue playing like this.”
“There was so much hype about this Bazball theory. To back up all that talk, I think they needed the skill to bat in these conditions. You need the talent to bowl,” said Srikkanth.
Despite the back-to-back losses in the series, England maintains a notable record under head coach Brendon McCullum, who introduced the Bazball approach of aggressive batting. They have secured victories in 14 out of 21 Tests, including successful home series against New Zealand and South Africa, along with a 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in Pakistan.
“Not everybody can do that successfully” – Kris Srikkanth views on Bazball
Kris Srikkanth believed that England’s Bazball approach might face challenges in the long term due to potential consistency issues among batters. However, statistics show that several England batsmen, including Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and even Joe Root, have experienced improved averages during the Bazball era.
“I don’t think it (Bazball) will work in the long run. Just going there and trying to hit every ball… I think Brendon McCullum can bat like that, Ben Stokes can bat like that. Not everybody can do that successfully. Sometimes, you need to adapt. You can’t just keep on saying… I feel it’s overhyped. That’s my feeling. I may be wrong,” said Srikkanth.
Excluding the lone Test against Ireland, England has not secured victory in their last two Test series, one at home against Australia and the other away in New Zealand last year. With slim chances of winning in India, England aims to even the series in the fourth Test at Ranchi, commencing on Friday, February 23.
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