England were beaten by India in the third Test match in Rajkot© AFP
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Kris Srikkanth delivered a brutal verdict on Bazball after England were completely outplayed in the third Test match in Rajkot. England were bowled out for just 122 runs with Mark Wood being their highest scorer with 33 runs. Ahead of the series, Bazball was considered to be a massive threat for the hosts but Srikanth believes that the strategy has not worked and they have not backed up the hype created around the aggressive brand of cricket.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth also said that England have no chance of making a return in the ongoing series.
“If possible, they can catch the next flight home. But, they have to play the remaining two Tests,” Srikkanth jokingly said when asked about England’s chances of fighting back.
“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,” he added.
The win in Rajkot meant that India are 2-1 ahead in the five-match series.
Srikkanth also said that he believes that Bazball will work out in the long run and advised the England cricket team management to adapt according to the situations.
“Yeah, they batted well in the first. Ollie Pope played an extraordinary knock. I am giving due credit to England.”
“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,” he added.
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