India exposed Bazball, claims Michael Vaughan as he gives 'wake-up call' to England

Former cricketer Michael Vaughan believes England’s crushing defeat at the hands of India in the recently-concluded Rajkot Test has ‘exposed’ Bazball.

After giving India a run for their money in the first two Tests, England were thoroughly outplayed in the third Test. The hosts thrashed the visitors by a staggering 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Set an improbable target of 557 runs, England capitulated with the bat in a spectacular manner and were bowled out for just 122 runs.

The 434-run defeat is England’s heaviest in terms of runs since 1934 while it is now India’s biggest win in the red-ball format. Yashasvi Jaiswal blew the visitors away by smashing a stunning double-century in the second innings, scoring 214 runs in just 236 balls with the help of 14 fours and 12 sixes. It was his second consecutive double-century in the series.

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Michael Vaughan criticises Bazball:

England just could not provide any resistance with the bat in the second innings as they kept losing wickets right from the word go. Apart from Mark Wood (33), no other English player could even touch the 20-run mark. For India, Ravindra Jadeja starred with the ball in the second innings, taking 5 for 41.

With England suffering one of the heaviest defeats in the history of Test cricket, Michael Vaughan believes the match has exposed Bazball. The former England captain stated that while the approach is great when it works, England can’t depend on it in all conditions.

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“I am afraid Bazball has been exposed this week. It’s great when it works. The first Test was a pitch that did all sorts so I get Bazball on that pitch, but not the last two where the pitches have been absolutely fine to just play with positive intent but more so common sense,” Michael Vaughan said on BBC.

Just before the win, Michael Vaughan had also said: “Let’s be honest, this could get messy for England. They have lost games in the Bazball era but they have never really been hammered. This could be the first.”

He had shared his views on the social media too, writing on X: “Even when this England team have lost in the last 2 years you have always been able to take positives .. or they haven’t been hammered .. this is looking like a wake up call that surely sends a message you can’t just play one way against quality teams.”

Even when this England team have lost in the last 2 years you have always been able to take positives .. or they haven’t been hammered .. this is looking like a wake up call that surely sends a message you can’t just play one way against quality teams .. #INDvENG

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 18, 2024