IND vs ENG: R Ashwin Accuses England of ‘PrankBall’ Betrayal at Lord’s

Add as a preferred source on Google

Ravichandran Ashwin didn't mince words while critiquing England's approach on Day 1 of the third Test at Lord's. The former India off-spinner, speaking on his YouTube channel, accused Ben Stokes' men of going against their core 'BazBall' philosophy and instead embracing a sluggish brand of cricket he mockingly termed 'PrankBall'.

"It was a great day for England. Everyone believed England was going to continue with Bazball, but they betrayed everyone by playing Prankball instead," Ashwin said. "They usually score at a net run rate of 4, 4.5 an over, but today was different. England were going at three runs an over."

While criticising the team strategy, Ashwin reserved praise for Joe Root, who led England's resistance with a composed knock. "I had previously discussed that Joe Root scoring runs is very important for the team. Commeth the man, Commeth the hour. His innings was a lesson in how Test cricket needs to be played. Root is back," he noted.

Ashwin also drew parallels between the Lord's pitch and subcontinental surfaces, especially in terms of its unpredictable bounce and pace. "If you look at this pitch, it possesses some sub-continent tendencies. The ball usually softens up after 60 overs, but if you look at Ravindra Jadeja, one back of a length delivery hit Joe Root's bat very low. Now, this on Day 1 at Lord's is quite a contrast to the conditions that you expect in England."

He further highlighted how the uneven bounce affected top-order batters, citing Nitish Reddy's success and Ben Stokes' struggle.

Looking ahead, Ashwin believes India still has a strong chance to claw their way back. "There is contrasting bounce and variable pace on this pitch. If I were India, I would be telling the bowler to roll them out in the first session tomorrow. Can they keep England below 350? Because the longer England play, this surface is going to play tricks," he concluded.