"They can catch the next flight home" - Kris Srikkanth rules out England's chances of series comeback against India
Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth has ruled out any chances of England bouncing back in the five-match series after their thrashing in the Rajkot Test.
After stunning India with a 28-run win in the opening Test in Hyderabad, the visitors have suffered back-to-back losses in Visakhapatnam and Rajkot to fall 1-2 behind in the series. Their latest setback in the third Test came by a massive 434-run margin, raising questions about the Bazball approach succeeding on Indian wickets.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth dismissed Bazball as overhyped and further joked that England could take the next flight back home to avoid a crushing series defeat.
"If possible, they can catch the next flight home. But, they have to play the remaining two Tests. I think this Bazball and all that are theories that they propagated. Where has it worked? Did it work in the Ashes? Frankly speaking, no strategy can work if they continue playing like this. There was so much hype about this Bazball theory. To back up all that talk, I think they needed the skill to bat in these conditions. You need the talent to bowl," said Srikkanth.
Despite the consecutive defeats in the series, England still boast an impressive record since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach and instituted the Bazball method of aggressive batting.
They have won 14 of their 21 Tests, including home series wins against New Zealand and South Africa and a 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in Pakistan.
"Not everybody can do that successfully" - Kris Srikkanth on Bazball
Kris Srikkanth felt England's Bazball approach would not work in the long run as most batters could struggle to maintain consistency.
However, the numbers indicate several England batters like Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and even Joe Root benefit with increased averages during the Bazball period.
"I don't think it (Bazball) will work in the long run. Just going there and trying to hit every ball... I think Brendon McCullum can bat like that, Ben Stokes can bat like that. Not everybody can do that successfully. Sometimes, you need to adapt. You can't just keep on saying... I feel it's overhyped. That's my feeling. I may be wrong," said Srikkanth.
Barring the one-off Test against Ireland, England haven't won their last two Test series at home against Australia and away in New Zealand last year.
With their hopes of winning in India hanging by a thread, England will look to level the series in the fourth Test at Ranchi, starting Friday, February 23.