ICC World Cup 2019: VVS Laxman Helped Me Play Spin Better Says Jonny Bairstow

England kept their semifinal hopes alive beating India by 31 runs in the ICC World Cup 2019 at Edgbaston and Birmingham. The return of Jason Roy worked wonders for the host as he combined well with Jonny Bairstow to take on the Indian spinners and post a massive total on the board. Speaking about his game against the spinners, Bairstow admitted that former India cricketer VVS Laxman helped him with his wisdom during the IPL days.

Laxman helped him play spin better: Bairstow

Batting first, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow’s 160-run partnership helped England propelled to 300+ score. Although India made a comeback banking a five-wicket haul from Mohammed Shami, Ben Stokes played a blinder to take the score to a mammoth total. Stokes’ 54-ball 79-run knock before an outstanding century from Bairstow. They absolutely murdered the Indian spinners taking 160 runs from their 20 overs to make things tough for India during the chase. Bairstow, in particular, was flawless against the Indian spinners, which helped England nullify all the threats.

Also read: Virat Kohli Slams Flat Pitch After India Suffer First Defeat Of World Cup 2019

Speaking at the end of the game, Jonny Bairstow credited VVS Laxman for his improvement against spin. Bairstow worked with Laxman while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL earlier this year and got to pick his brain.

“I was reacting to each ball. VVS definitely helped me with his knowledge against spin (while playing for Sunrisers). They bowled well upfront as they got few edges but we capitalised later,” he said.

Furthermore, Jonny Bairstow admitted that they are only focusing on the game against New Zealand, which is also a must-win for the host. In conclusion, the opener added that there is still scope for improving and they will strive to do so in the next encounter.

“We have three must-win games in the next two weeks but we need to focus on the next game that we play against New Zealand.  We can improve things going forward against New Zealand,” he concluded.