A few days ago, Ben Duckett was asking for credit for the way India was playing, particularly Yashaswi Jaiswal who was ruthless against English bowlers, scored a magnificent double century, and completely decimated any thoughts of England finding a way into the game in the third innings.
Duckett, who played a praiseworthy innings himself, was asked about India’s approach at the end of the third day. The “Bazball” approach has been a topic of discussion, and almost everyone seems to have an opinion, positive or negative.
So Duckett said that oppositions were playing this type of attacking cricket because they were influenced by Bazball. This was perhaps an over exaggeration, and given the situation, it was unnecessary because it backfired instantly.
Duckett was heavily trolled on social media for his statement. Then, on Monday, former England skipper Nasser Hussain weighed in on the matter, clearly praising Yashaswi Jaiswal and advising Duckett to learn from him.
Talking to Michael Atherton on Sky Cricket, Hussain said, “He has not learned from you; he has learned from his upbringing and all the hard work he put in while growing up. He has learned from the IPL.”
“If anything, look at him and learn from him.”
The Bazball philosophy negates the possibility of self-criticism, which can be a double-edged sword. “Whatever they say in public and their dressing room, I hope they go back to their rooms and do a little bit of introspection, and they can say, ‘I can learn from that lad,’” Hussain added.
“At times, this Bazball approach has been described as a cult where you cannot criticize it internally or externally because this is the way we play. I go back to the Ashes series; I believe they changed because of their skipper Stokes, the way he batted at Lord’s, playing the situation when needed.”
“Even in this regime, there is room for learning and improvement.”
Fixing errors is necessary because there is no perfect way to play and win. Things that worked at one instance might not work in another situation. England haven’t been on the mark with the applicability of their plan.
In the third test, the attacking mindset of the English batters was challenged by the Indian bowlers. Somehow, they lost track of everything, and what came out wasn’t attack but a vain reflection of their desperation.
