England's 'Bazball' not good enough to beat India - Simon Doull makes sensational claim
Team India is set to host England in a high-profile five-match Test series with the first Test commencing on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. With turning tracks being a prominent feature in India, the debate has already begun over the potential nature of the red soil pitches throughout the series.
Over recent years, Indian surfaces, especially for Test matches, have been severely criticized by the English media for their spin-friendly nature. The pitches sometimes offer significant turn on the first day itself. England’s last series win in India was in 2012 under the leadership of Sir Alastair Cook, and since then, they have managed to win only one Test on Indian soil across two tours, suffering defeats of 0-4 and 1-3, respectively in 2016 and 2021.
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull firmly believes that England will not succeed in sustaining the ‘Bazball’ approach throughout five Tests against India. However, he added that England will not deviate from their approach and will play aggressively on the turning tracks in India. India is yet to lose a Test series at home with 16 consecutive series wins since the defeat against England in 2012.
“I don’t like the term. But the way they play, I enjoy. They will not change the way they play, and neither should they. It has been attractive; it has been a resurgence of Test cricket. I don’t think they will stop the way they play. Will it work? It might be in a Test or two. I don’t think it will work over a five-Test series. (It’s not) good enough to beat an Indian side. I think we are in for a cracking Test series, and it will be entertaining no matter how it goes, but I don’t think they will be able to sustain it over a five-Test series,” Doull told Hindustan Times.
England Has Not Lost A Test Series After Adopting Bazball
England is yet to lose a Test series since the Bazball approach came into the picture after the assigning of Brendon McCullum as the head coach of the England Test team. They leveled the Ashes against Australia by 2-2 following the same Bazball approach last year in June and July. Ben Stokes and Rohit Sharma both are undefeated as captains in Test series but this will end the reign for one of the two skippers.
India has been phenomenal in Test cricket, especially in home conditions, and is on a winning streak in 16 consecutive Test series at home. England on the other hand was last defeated in a Test series against West Indies in the three-match Test series in 2021. Both the teams are a force to reckon with in Test cricket and India are currently second on the WTC points table. They have qualified for the WTC finals twice and they are looking to play another final in 2025 when the current cycle ends.
England is currently seventh on the WTC table and they would like to improve their position on the table after beating India in the series which looks quite far-fetched given the hosts have a terrific record in red-ball cricket at home. The first Test will be played in Hyderabad whereas the other four matches will be played in Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala respectively.
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