“I don’t know what it is” - Rahul Dravid’s reaction when asked for his take on Bazball
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has stated that he doesn't know what the "Bazball" style of play the England team has adopted means.
He credited the Ben Stokes-led side for their remarkable resurgence in red-ball cricket. Before Stokes took over England's leadership, the team endured a disastrous phase during which they won only one out of 17 Tests.
Bazball describes England's aggressive approach to Test cricket under their new coach Brendon McCullum (Baz is his nickname). Ever since he took over as the team's coach in the traditional format, England have won four out of four games, all of them chasing challenging targets.
On Tuesday (July 5), the Englishmen created a new record of chasing down their highest-ever Test total - 378. They did so in empathic style, beating India by seven wickets in Birmingham.
At the post-match conference, Indian coach Dravid was asked about his assessment of "Bazball".
Smiling, he replied:
“I don’t know what it is.”
The Indian legend, however, was quick to add:
“But what I can say is that the kind of cricket they have played in the last four Test matches has been very good. It is not easy to chase in England, but they are doing it really well. When your players are in good form, you can play positive cricket, like we did in that innings when Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were batting.”
England win the Edgbaston Test by 7 wickets.
A spirited performance by #TeamIndia as the series ends at 2-2.
#ENGvIND https://t.co/fNiAfZbSUN
The 49-year-old lamented that India lost the fifth Test against England because they couldn’t play good cricket over five days.
Dravid elaborated:
"We had our opportunities, we played well over the first three days. We couldn't maintain that. That's why Test cricket is hard. And that's why Test cricket means that you have got to be able to keep putting those performances right through the five days. We were not able to do that and they did that better than us and they deserved to win this Test match."
India had a significant lead of 257 after Day 3 with seven wickets in hand. However, they lost 7 for 92 to crumble to 245 all out in their second innings. England then chased down 378 without much trouble.
“It’s been exceptional” - Rahul Dravid on England’s four consecutive chases
Before their triumph in Birmingham, England had hammered New Zealand 3-0 by chasing down targets in all three matches.
wickets
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2⃣3⃣ wickets
Best bowling Figures (In Innings): 5⃣/6⃣4⃣
An average of 2⃣2⃣.4⃣7⃣
#TeamIndia's Player of the Series is @Jaspritbumrah93 👏 👏
#ENGvIND https://t.co/APkOhYC1tJ
Asked for his views on England’s impressive run, Dravid said:
“They’ve done really well. Saw bits of the New Zealand series during our planning and preparations. To chase down the kind of score that they have done in all four Test matches, it’s been exceptional. Couple of their batters are in the best form of their lives and that partnership (Jonny Bairstow-Joe Root) was truly special.”
Bairstow and Root added an unbroken 269 for the fourth wicket in Birmingham as England chased down 378 in 76.4 overs.