"If the Indian batting starts playing to its potential, you will see a huge gap between the 2 teams" - Aakash Chopra on whether Bazball is working
Aakash Chopra reckons a massive gulf would be evident between India and England in the ongoing Test series if the hosts' batters play to their potential.
The five-match series between the two sides is currently tied at 1-1. While the visitors won the first game in Hyderabad by 28 runs, Rohit Sharma and company bounced back to win the second Test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that the result of the ongoing series would define the success of Bazball. He opined that India will be far superior if they live up to their potential, elaborating (9:05):
"It's novel thinking for sure but this series will tell how successful it will be. You are standing at 1-1, you won the first match very nicely and you faced defeat in the second match. If you look inwards, you would say that you missed a trick and an opportunity."
"One of the main reasons for that is that the Indian batting is not doing that well. If the Indian batting starts playing to its potential, you will see a huge gap between the two teams," the former India opener added.
Chopra noted that India have missed chances to virtually bat England out of the game in both Tests. He explained:
"For example, if India had scored 550 runs in the first innings in Vizag, which they should have, it was that sort of pitch, or when three players scored 80-odd in Hyderabad, if one of them had made 180, they would have batted England out of the game. However, they haven't been able to do that."
Ravindra Jadeja (87), KL Rahul (86) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (80) scored half-centuries in India's first innings of the Hyderabad Test but couldn't convert them into big three-figure scores. Jaiswal (209 in the first innings) and Shubman Gill (104 in the second innings) were the only Indian batters to cross the half-century mark in the Visakhapatnam Test.
"The verdict is not clear whether Bazball would work here or not" - Aakash Chopra
![Ollie Pope changed the course of the first Test with his aggressive batting approach. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/f4c28-17072834879304-1920.jpg?w=500)
While hoping that the Indian batting starts firing, Aakash Chopra opined that it's yet to be determined whether Bazball can succeed in subcontinental conditions. He stated (9:45):
"The Indian batting's below-par performances are bringing the teams slightly closer. I really hope that the Indian team starts playing to their potential with the bat. Then I will see how Bazball plays here because I feel the jury is out. The verdict is not clear whether Bazball would work here or not."
The England batters predominantly resorted to unconventional shots like the reverse sweep in the slightly spin-friendly conditions in Hyderabad. Although they batted aggressively on the flat pitch in Visakhapatnam as well, they adopted a slightly more conventional approach.
It remains to be seen what sort of pitches are prepared for the remaining three Tests and the approach Ben Stokes and company adopt on those surfaces.