"India have been playing Bazball for yaers.."- AB de Villiers

Former South African captain AB de Villiers is optimistic about England’s strategy in the five-match Test series against India. AB de Villiers stated that Bazball could work in the subcontinent, highlighting the importance of an attacking approach in challenging conditions.

The England team adopted an aggressive style of cricket, known as Bazball, under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Bazball proved to be successful for the team, securing 13 victories out of 18 Tests and one draw in the Ashes 2023 series.

The Ben Stokes-led team aims to continue their approach in pursuit of their first Test series victory in India since the 2012 series, where Alastair Cook led to a 2-1 victory. Since then, the visiting team suffered a 0-4 loss in 2016 and a 1-3 loss in 2021 on Indian soil.

I Don’t Need To Call It Bazball – AB de Villiers

In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), AB de Villiers expressed confidence in the effectiveness of Bazball for England in India, highlighting the importance of an aggressive approach. De Villiers emphasized that India has adopted a similar attacking style for many years.

“So I do think Bazball will work well for England over there in India. India have been playing that way for many, many years without even calling it something. I don’t need to call it Bazball. It’s just the way that India play. The attacking style, the attacking nature, getting the catches away from the bat. That’s the way you win the battle in tough conditions,” De Villiers said.

KS Bharat Always Adds Value To The Team – AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers commended KS Bharat for his hard work and value in the team environment. The former South African batter noted the formidable challenge posed by spinners and highlighted the quality seamers for England in the upcoming series.

“So there’s the Test squad for India, captained by Rohit Sharma, a very experienced campaigner. KS Bharat, who I played with in RCB. It’s nice to see his name. He’s a very hardworking man. He’s a good guy to have in the team environment. He always adds value. So if you’re out there and you’re a cricketer, be the guy in the team who adds value to the environment and not take value away from the environment. So KS Bharat’s certainly one of those guys.”

“Ashwin, Jaddu, and Axar Patel. Now there are those three names. Kuldeep Yadav—four names that will keep England very, very, very busy during this series. And then also Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Avesh Khan. Really good seamers,” he added.

The first Test match is scheduled to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25. The visitors started well in the opening session, as the openers added 55 runs for the first wicket. However, the hosts bounced back to pick up three wickets.

Also read: “Won’t tell you guys…” – AB de Villiers on reason behind Virat Kohli’s sudden withdrawal from England Tests