Watch - Jonny Bairstow's million-dollar reaction to crowd's 'Bazball gets battered' song during 5th Test in Dharamsala
Published - 10 Mar 2024, 05:42 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:28 AM
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Middle-order batter Jonny Bairstow engaged in verbal altercations twice during the fifth Test between India and England at Dharamsala. Jonny Bairstow’s sledging with Shubman Gill gained traction on social media, while the other one went relatively unnoticed.
The Ben Stokes-led side suffered an innings and 64-run defeat at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday, March 9. Despite starting the series with an impressive 28-run victory in Hyderabad, the visitors conceded a 4-1 lead to the opposition.
Jonny Bairstow Failed To Make An Impact Throughout Series
Jonny Bairstow, in his 100th Test, played some elegant strokes but failed to contribute to England’s innings effectively. Across both innings, the 34-year-old managed scores of 29 runs off 18 balls and 39 off 31. He fell victim to Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling on both occasions.
The wicketkeeper-batter concluded the series with 238 runs in 10 innings at a disappointing average of 23.8. Despite featuring as a specialist batter against India, the right-handed player failed to surpass the fifty-run mark even once, with his highest score being 39.
Watch – Jonny Bairstow Reacts To Crowd’s ‘Bazball Gets Battered’ Chant
During India’s first innings in Dharamsala, the crowd attempted to tease Jonny Bairstow by chanting, “Bazball gets battered everywhere they go.” Despite that, the England batter initially remained composed but later responded to the spectators with a smile.
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India amassed a commanding first-innings lead of 259 runs with the help of centuries from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, as well as half-centuries by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Devdutt Padikkal. Ravichandran Ashwin, marking his 100th Test, claimed five wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav added two more, restricting England to just 195 runs on Day 3.
The England team experienced their first series loss during the Bazball era, also marking the first instance of losing four consecutive Test matches under Ben Stokes’s captaincy. This heavy defeat kept them in the eighth spot in the ongoing WTC 2023-25 points table.
Write Me Off At Your Own Peril – Ben Stokes
Despite losing the series against India, Ben Stokes warned critics not to underestimate him and his team. Stokes emphasized the importance of staying true to themselves and learning from mistakes. He expressed disappointment with his own performance.
“It’s making sure we are staying true to ourselves as players and as a team. It’s knowing that sometimes taking risks brings your downfall, but when there’s a reason behind taking these risks that don’t quite work out, that is fine,” Stokes said in the post-match presser.
“It is a tough game, cricket, and it can eat you up, but this tour in particular, there is always one that can lead you astray or make you a better player. I have done a lot of India tours now. I am obviously disappointed with my performance for the team, but write this team off, write me off at your own peril…”
England players will be next seen in action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, which is scheduled to commence on March 22 with a match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
