'Uninterested' Jonny Bairstow's chance to show he cares
On 6th March, 2021, Jonny Bairstow walked out to bat, with England having lost Zak Crawley. The scoreboard, at that juncture, read 10/1, meaning that the Three Lions still needed 150 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
However, Jonny Bairstow could only manage to nudge the first delivery he faced, straight to the fielder at leg slip – a dismissal that irked plenty in the commentary box and consigned the Englishman to his third duck in four Test innings in India on this tour.
Sunil Gavaskar, who was on air during that phase, even termed Jonny Bairstow as someone who seemed uninterested in aiding the English cause. More damningly, it was an indictment that the Englishman, who had just returned to the Test fold a month prior, didn’t seem to posses the patience or the wherewithal to withstand the trials and tribulations of Test cricket.
Fortunately for Jonny Bairstow, though, several of his peers also succumbed to equally listless strokes and poor bouts of application, meaning that he was spared the ignominy of being blamed solely for England’s spectacular capitulation.
Thus, it might perhaps be some sort of solace for Jonny Bairstow that England’s Test adventures take a back seat until the end of IPL 2021, thereby providing him an opportunity to rekindle his best form at his stomping ground.
To that end, India might not be the opposition he would’ve had at the top of his head, owing to the middle returns he has endured previously. Yet, in the landscape of white-ball cricket, where he competes in a short list to be one of the most bellicose but also consistent batsmen, there are enough reasons for India to be worried.
Firstly, the chances of turning tracks being served up for the T20I series are remote, although that notion could be altered significantly. Nevertheless, it rarely happens that raging turners are dished out for the shortest format, considering it is expected to provide entertainment of the run-scoring prototype.
Additionally, the white ball offers lesser assistance to the spinners, as compared to the red ball and the pink ball. Subsequently, it seems hard for one to envision Jonny Bairstow and England struggling as much against spin. Also, in T20 cricket, there would hardly be any fielders around the bat – something that makes thick edges a lot less threatening for the visiting batsmen.
Apart from the aforementioned, as far as Jonny Bairstow is concerned, he has quite a lot to prove in the shortest format, especially after being shunted down the order in favour of Jos Buttler. In fifty-over cricket, the lad from Yorkshire has formed an irresistible opening partnership with Jason Roy.
However, in T20Is, England have preferred Buttler’s ability to optimize the Power Play. With Jason Roy boasting a considerably poorer record against spin than Jonny Bairstow, the latter has had to sacrifice his spot at the top of the order.
Also, it seems highly unlikely that England would shelve one of Jason Roy or Jos Buttler at the top of the order, meaning that if a youngster or an experienced campaigner (read Alex Hales) is to be fast-tracked, the axe might hinge perilously over Jonny Bairstow.
Interestingly, Jonny Bairstow began his international career as a middle order dasher. Yet, much like Rohit Sharma, he unlocked his potential only after being deployed as an opener. Thus, when the decision to shift his batting slot was made, there remained skepticism over the Englishman’s tenability to the role.
If his performances in England’s most recent T20I assignment against South Africa are any indicator, though, it seems those doubts were quite dumbfounded, for Jonny Bairstow offers countless new dimensions in the middle order.
Capable of increasing the tempo against spin, the wicket-keeper’s presence allows the likes of Ben Stokes, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan to grow into their innings. Each, despite their excellent records in T20 cricket, requires a few deliveries to get going, meaning that Jonny Bairstow’s attributes become invaluable.
Jonny Bairstow has an excellent record in the IPL
Furthermore, in the upcoming T20I series, Jonny Bairstow would be playing in conditions that he is accustomed to, especially if IPL experience is taken into account. Back in 2019, when the competition was held in India, the wicket-keeper amassed 445 runs in 10 innings at an average of 55.62 and a strike rate of 157.42.
Moreover, during a majority of those essays, he batted post the Power Play, meaning that he handled the opposition’s spin threat well. And, even though he underwent a sub-standard IPL in 2020, one must remember that that was played in the UAE and in conditions that were different to the ones he encountered in India, a year prior.
Most tellingly though, Jonny Bairstow falls under the modern breed of English batsmen who fight fire with fire, especially in white-ball cricket. To add to that, he is a cricketer who relishes a contest and doesn’t flinch, even backed into a corner.
To put things into context, a couple of years ago, during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, the English media had gotten their swords out and had started massacring the Three Lions after a 64-run defeat to Australia. Post the reverse, Jonny Bairstow had famously claimed that those in England were ‘waiting for the team to fail’.
Over the next couple of games, after cooking up an almighty storm, Jonny Bairstow answered his critics on the field, conjuring a sensational 111-run innings against India and a 106-run essay against New Zealand.
Prior to that, the Three Lions were required to win both the aforementioned contests and once they did, on the back of Jonny Bairstow’s displays, they never looked back.
Jonny Bairstow has a tendency to almost always put his best foot forward in white-ball cricket. In the ODI format, he averages 47.16 across 83 matches, while he hurtles along at a strike rate of 139.52, having accumulated 932 runs in 46 games at an average of 28.24.
Despite not enjoying a great record against India, averaging 40.33 and 14 in ODIs and T20Is respectively, his numbers elsewhere highlight that he remains one of the premier ball-strikers in limited-overs cricket.
Thus, with only a few days remaining before the T20I rubber between India and England, there are several aspects the hosts have to ponder over. Despite the Three Lions’ recent overseas successes in Test cricket, they still look upon ODIs and T20Is as the primary fodder for their cricketing ecosystem.
And one feels that no one embodies that spirit as much as Jonny Bairstow, who just seems a tad ill-equipped for the longest version of the sport. On the flip side, though, he revels in the topsy-turvy nature of white-ball cricket and is perhaps even unparalleled in the kind of impact he can create.
As far as his proclivity to perform when the stakes are at its crest are concerned, England are about to embark on a potentially defining T20I cycle, wherein they’re looking to build on their 2019 Cricket World Cup conquest – something that would interest the Yorkshireman.
If that isn’t enough, on the personal front, Jonny Bairstow would be longing to quell allegations that he isn’t as committed to the cause as it seemed on that sultry afternoon in Ahmedabad, with a million fielders around his bat.
At that stage, lest one forgets, the wicket-keeper was also battling his place in the team, in addition to a confrontation with Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin.
The white-ball environment, though, is something Jonny Bairstow cherishes and feels secure in, meaning that if India aren’t careful, they could bear the full brunt of it. In fact, the Men In Blue would be naïve to not be fearful of the Englishman.
The Englishman is an extremely proud cricketer and while his languidness could be mistaken for a lack of effort at times, there's no denying his match-winning pedigree, especially in limited-overs cricket.
And, even if Jonny Bairstow isn’t as successful, one can bet one’s house that it wouldn’t be because of him being uninterested. After all, white-ball cricket is his stomping ground, isn’t it?