"It is actually about trying to be the best version of yourself" - Dinesh Karthik opens up on misconception surrounding England's Bazball approach
Veteran Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik feels England's Bazball approach isn't just applying pressure by playing attacking cricket but is centered more on being the best version of a player for as long as possible.
With the much-anticipated India-England five-match Test series set to get underway in Hyderabad, most of the discussions have been around the success of Bazball on Indian tracks. The hosts have been dominant in home conditions, with an unbeaten record over their last 16 Test series since the 2012-13 loss to England.
Speaking to Indian Express before the first Test, Karthik opened up about the misconceptions surrounding the Bazball theory.
"Actually I feel that the word Bazball isn’t understood well. It doesn’t mean applying pressure. It is actually about trying to be the best version of yourself. It basically means, at times when you have to absorb pressure, be courageous enough to do it and do it your way. That is the messaging that is going around. It is not about scoring runs at 6 or 7 runs an over," said Karthik.
"It means if you sense that the opponent isn’t there in the game, then go for it but if they are on top and doing a good job, then try and see the best defensive version of yourself using the game you have. Don’t try to surrender trying to do something you are not good at. But be very confident of what you can do in those situations with your game. With the ball it is all about constantly trying ways to get wickets," he added.
Derived from former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, Bazball came into existence since his appointment as England's Test coach with Ben Stokes as captain.
The duo have scripted a resurgence in England's red-ball cricket, with the side winning 13 of their 18 Tests since their association in mid-2022.
"There are going to be days when India completely dominates them" - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik felt England's Bazball approach would result in days where India completely dominate the visitors. He added that England's ability to stay mentally tough and recover the following day will have a massive say in the outcome of the series.
England were soundly beaten in their previous two tours of India by 1-3 and 0-4 margins in 2020-21 and 2016-17, respectively.
"For any touring team to India that is going to be the biggest challenge. How you are able to understand that on days which don’t go yourway, how to come back and start afresh is the biggest challenge in India. Over here, as the Test match progresses, it is only going to get harder for batting. With the spinners India have, there are bound to be challenges for sure. But that is where they have to buckle down more mentally and come out and play their best game that they have done for the last 18 months," said Karthik.
"That will be a big challenge to them. There are going to be days when India completely dominates them and come next day, it will be up to England to show how they turn up. Whether the scars of the previous day are still fresh or they have gone past it and they come out fresh and do what they can," he added.
Both teams have been dealt massive blows, with key batters Virat Kohli and Harry Brook set to miss the first two Tests (Kohli) and the entire series (Brook).
England won the opening Test in their previous Indian tour in 2020-21 before losing three consecutive matches to surrender the series by a 1-3 margin.