Bazball Blues: England's Uphill Battle in India's Cricket Theater
As I sit at my desk on the eve of the 4th test and recapitulate all that has occurred in the series, I strongly feel India should have won the first game in Hyderabad as well. Anyway, let us not exhume what happened! From where I look at the series right now, the bigger question lurking is - Can the English recover from here? Can they Bazball out of this hole? Or they will turn up tomorrow like vanquished folks - and give into India’s schemes and plans??
I know England are a tough side. They fight hard and show belly when it is required. With the series at 2-1 and two back-to-back huge losses, I feel the task ahead is a steep climb - it is too much to ask from Stokes and co to come back in the series. So far in the series, England’s batting has been anything but average and the only saving grace has been the individual brilliance of Pope, Duckett, and Crawley. Their spinners have been tired out by the Indian batting and it will take a hell lot of fortitude to recover. The spinners are inexperienced and it will take some real effort from Jimmy and Wood to create some magic with the new ball. The English batting unit has to absorb the pressure in the subcontinent, something like what KP did in Mumbai scoring 186 at Wankhede (2012) or the exploits of Mark Taylor in Peshawar (1998). Bazball might work for a session or two - but the key to winning in India is to bat long and outbat your opposition. Another thing which the English have not been able to do is to carry forward the momentum to the next session/day. Case in point, in the Rajkot Test at end of day 2, scoring almost at 6 an over, they had India on the backfoot and let go of that chance. Over the week, I have heard from various players/commentators that England has a great support group and they will back themselves and their brand of cricket. If you ask me, I already see the cracks and doubts appearing, no matter what is being said in the media. Except for the first test, the pitches so far have been good and have held firm at least for the first 3-4 days and that might change in Ranchi - come on, it is Tests and every country plays to their advantage. Put that into mix and the batting unit which has not been able to punch above their weights - they will conjure demons out of the pitch.
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I think there is only one direction where this series is going, it will be 4-1 for India. Point in case, Bazball produces results. Since McCullum became the English Coach and started this phenomenon, Stokes and Co. have won 14 out of 26 Tests and lost 10. It doesn’t look pretty anymore, does it? It looks ugly if you consider the fact that 60% of these Tests were played on English soil. For the sake of the series, I do hope Stokes and co. prove me wrong and bounce back. As a cricket fan, I will be elated. But I do not see that happening considering India would want to take advantage of their home conditions right about now, with series on the line. Expect turn. Expect demons in the pitch. Expect that black soil to turn English dreams to ashes.