ENG vs IND: Have No Doubts About My Ability With The Bat - Jonny Bairstow

England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow opened up on how he manages his temperament with the approach to playing cricket over the years. Since making his Test debut for England in 2012 against West Indies at Lord’s, Bairstow faced shares of struggles to cement his place in the team.

Bairstow has scored 5195 runs in 154 Test innings at 36.08 and in the last two years, there was a dip in his numbers. He managed 334 and 391 runs in the year 2019 and 2021 respectively with his average dropping below 25 in that period.

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster: Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow was dropped for the first two Tests in Ashes 2021-22 owing to inconsistency with batting form. He returned to play the third Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground and since then his numbers have taken a massive turnaround. Bairstow has scored 774 runs in seven Tests at an average of 64.50 with four centuries and a fifty to his name.

“This is a simple game that is complicated by those of us who play it. I’m trying to remain as clear as possible and have no doubts about my ability or the way I’m going about my batting,” Bairstow told Nasser Hussain in an interview for Daily Mail.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster but since coming in for the third Test of the Ashes at the MCG up until now, it’s been great fun. I’m just trying to take the complexities out of batting and keeping it as simple as possible,” he added. 

The way we are going about our cricket is really exciting: Jonny Bairstow

England are coming fresh from drubbing New Zealand 3-0 to kick off on a high note under the new era of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. For the first time in the history of Test cricket, a team chased 250-plus targets in three successive games – 277 at Lord’s, 299 at Trent Bridge and 296 at Headingley.

Bairstow played a vital role in two successful run-chase in Nottingham and Leeds. He hit the second-fastest Test hundred (in 77 balls) by an England batter at Trent Bridge to take England past the finishing line in just 50 overs.

The Yorkshireman registered back-to-back hundreds, scoring 162 in the first innings at Headingley after England were reeling at 55/6. Bairstow forged a 241-run stand for the seventh wicket with debutant Jamie Overton to help England take a slender lead of 31 runs. Bairstow finished the New Zealand Test series with 394 runs at an average of 78.80.

“We were inspired to play cricket as kids and we want to inspire the next generation to come and watch the game and play it.

“Yes, there have been some amazing times but I think the way we are going about our cricket is really exciting. I really do hope it’s grabbing people’s attention. That’s exactly what we want to be doing,” Bairstow said. 

Bairstow is playing for England in the rescheduled fifth Test against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham. England are trailing 1-2 in the five-match Test series and will vie to level it 2-2 in the next five days.

Also Read: ENG vs IND: Playing Against India Is Always A Fantastic Challenge – Jonny Bairstow