"You give something a term, it becomes much more interesting" - MS Dhoni shares his views on Bazball
Former India captain MS Dhoni admitted that he is pleased with the positive brand of Test cricket that is being played these days. Referring to 'Bazball', he stated that giving something a term makes it interesting because people start discussing it, but added that, at the end of the day, what matters is the style of play.
In the wake of T20 cricket, draws have become a rarity in Test matches. Teams are willing to risk losing in their endeavor to win games. There are also growing instances of red-ball matches finishing within three to four days.
During a promotional event in Goa, Dhoni backed the aggressive manner in which teams are approaching Test cricket these days. The former India captain and stumper said [as quoted by ESPNcricinfo]:
"You can give cricket any term that you want to, what we have seen is cricket has evolved. The way people are playing cricket is very different. There was a time when in ODIs something was considered a safe score, now that score is not safe in T20s too."
"You give something a term, it becomes much more interesting because you start talking about it, you start relating to it but at the end of the day what is it? It's a way to play cricket. Some people want to play aggressive cricket, some people want to play authentic cricket. A lot of that depends on the kind of team you have got - whether they can change the way they play that cricket," the 43-year-old added.
Dhoni also stated that it's important for teams to realize their strengths and play accordingly, while also giving their players enough time to adapt. Incidentally, England's 'Bazball' philosophy backfired in Pakistan as they ended up losing the three-match series 2-1.
"For me, the most difficult time during a Test match was the fifth day" - MS Dhoni
Reflecting on his days as a Test cricketer, the Indian legend commented that he often found Day 5 the most difficult, especially when it was clear that the game would end in a draw. Pointing out that while bowlers and batters had something to gain statistically, Dhoni admitted keeping on such days wasn't easy. He said:
"For me, the most difficult time during a Test match was the fifth day of a match which is the last day when you knew that 100% it is going to be a draw. I would still need to keep for nearly 2.5 sessions and that was the most tiring part. You see there is no result happening, you are just going through the motions. Yes, bowlers would like to take wickets, batters will try to score runs, [but] there is no result in the game.
"Imagine telling someone who doesn't know much cricket we play over five days and we start at 9.30 and 4.30 is the scheduled end of play, we play till 5[pm] sometimes, and after five days we don't get a result. That's not nice for the game," Dhoni went on to add.
Regarded as one of the greatest white-ball cricketers ever, the Ranchi-born cricketer also played 90 Tests, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09, with six hundreds and 33 fifties.