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The cricketing world is abuzz with excitement as India prepares to take on England in a riveting five-match Test series set to kick off on January 25. Beyond the clash of titans on the field, this series also promises a battle of contrasting styles as England’s new ‘bazball’ approach faces off against India’s traditional yet highly successful Test cricket strategy.
England’s bazball approach
The introduction of England’s ‘bazball’ style of play has added a new dimension to their Test cricket approach. Spearheaded by the dynamic duo of former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum, who took over as the head coach, and the relentless Ben Stokes as captain, England has embraced an aggressive brand of cricket. This shift in approach has made them one of the most formidable teams in the longest format of the game.
India’s traditional dominance
In contrast, India has stuck to a more traditional approach to Test cricket, which has proven to be highly successful. With back-to-back appearances in the World Test Championship Final and dominant performances, the Indian team has showcased the effectiveness of their methodical and disciplined style of play.
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Sunil Gavaskar shares his insights
As the cricketing world speculates on how India plans to counter England’s bazball, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently shared his insights on Star Sports.
In his interaction, Gavaskar expressed confidence in India’s ability to tackle the aggressive English approach, attributing this confidence to none other than Indian stalwart Virat Kohli, who enters the England series with an impressive record of 8848 runs at an average of 49.1, accompanied by 29 centuries, including seven double centuries.
“Yeah, conversion means having more hundreds than fifties. With Kohli, he has as a similar amount of hundreds and fifties, that means he has a good conversion rate. The way he’s been batting, his movement looks good. With the form that he’s in, we have Viratball to counter Bazball,” remarked Gavaskar.
Gavaskar excited to see if England’s approach works against India
England’s aggressive approach in Test cricket has been evident over the past 1-2 years, with their batters adopting an attacking mindset regardless of the situation. Gavaskar acknowledged this change in approach and raised the question of whether England’s aggressive style would prove effective against the spinners in the subcontinent.
“England have adopted a new approach in Test cricket in the last 1-2 years. It’s an aggressive approach where batters look to attack. They just want to play attacking cricket no matter the situation. It’ll be interesting to see if this approach works against the spinners of India,” expressed former India skipper.
