Former bowler Simon Doull of New Zealand says that England’s aggressive strategy may make it difficult for them to continue dominating the five-match Test series in India. On Thursday, January 25, India and England will play the first game of their much-awaited five-match series at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Since England’s 2-1 triumph in 2012–13, India has not lost a home Test series. In the meantime, England have shown remarkable resilience since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum were appointed captain and coach, respectively. Using the ball and an all-out offensive strategy that has become known as “Bazball,” England has won 13 of its past 18 Test matches.
England’s most recent Test assignment was the exciting Ashes series at home, which concluded in July of last year. India is coming off a 1-1 draw in South Africa. The foreign team has suffered devastating series losses in their last two journeys to India, where they have lost seven of the last nine Test matches.
I don’t think it will work over a five-Test series – Simon Doull on Bazball approach by England
Before the India-England series, Simon Doull discussed England’s bazball technique and its prospects for success in India in an interview with the Hindustan Times. Simon Doull said that the Bazball approach might work in a test or two, but he doesn’t think it will work over a five-test match series.
“I don’t like the term. But the way they play, I enjoy. They will not change the way they play, and neither should they. It has been attractive; it has been a resurgence of Test cricket. I don’t think they will stop the way they play. Will it work? It might in a Test or two. I don’t think it will work over a five-Test series,” he said.
“It’s not good enough to beat an Indian side. I think we are in for a cracking Test series, and it will be entertaining no matter how it goes, but I don’t think they will be able to sustain it over a five-Test series,” Simon Doull added.
I’ve got no issue with how India want to play at home- Simon Doull addresses the criticism of Indian pitches
Simon Doull believes that unfair criticism has been thrown at Indian pitches, citing other teams that have made excellent use of home advantage.
Many experts and spectators complained about the hosts’ use of subpar pitches in the previous England series and the Border Gavaskar Trophy in India last year, claiming that the pitches turned square from ball one.
“I don’t think it is fair at all criticism of Indian pitches. In New Zealand, there is 15-18mm of grass on every Test pitch. It would seam around for a day and a half; that is how New Zealand win at home. I’ve got no issue with how India want to play at home, as long as the pitches are up to the standards. I don’t care if it turns from Day 1 as long as the pitch is not underprepared, rough, or looks ordinary on the opening day,” Doull elaborated.
Nonetheless, Simon Doull voiced his worries that, while playing on such tracks, the younger generation of Indian batters could find it difficult to make a name for themselves and measure up to their forebears.
“The only thing I would say is how do these modern Indian batters, The Shubman Gills and the Yashasvi Jaiswals, get Test match double hundreds? You look at the careers of the previous Indian batters and the careers of these new Indian players, and you’d feel, ‘We don’t expect them to average 55, 54, 53, like the Tendulkars, the Dravids, the Sehwags, and the Laxmans’. That’s because they are playing on surfaces that are more spin-friendly on Day 1,” Doull reflected.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has not yet played a home Test match in his brief career, but Shubman Gill has only averaged 32.07 in eight home red-ball matches.
Even though the host team’s batters frequently struggle on turning surfaces, India has repeatedly benefited from having a deep bench of batting talent and elite spinners.
Also Read: IND vs ENG: “We’ve Scuffed Pitches And Put Sand Down To Make It Spin” – Mark Wood On England’s Preparation For India Tour
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