Ravichandran Ashwin: Indian spinner raises doubts on 'Bazball' style

Add as a preferred source on Google

England's adoption of a fast-scoring approach in Test cricket is something that has become a big hit in recent days. The English batters have imposed themselves and have taken a much more aggressive manner in the longest format of the game.

The style of their aggressive play has been coined as 'Bazball', a term that comes from their head coach Brendon McCullum. The current set of English players have also executed their plans perfectly. Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and others have been excellent in implementing their visions as the England team have tasted success against Pakistan and New Zealand.

While many have been lauding the brand new approach to play Test cricket, India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is not that much convinced by 'Bazball', and believes conditions need to be respected when it comes to Test cricket.

"We now have a concept called Bazball. England is playing high-paced Test match cricket. They want to play a certain style of cricket. But in certain types of wicket, when you try and attack every ball, you will falter. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach," Ashwin said.

"Some will ask instead of defending and getting all out for 100, I will slog it out and get all out for 140. We will only know when the game pans out that the approach works or not. Sometimes, on the wicket, conditions need to be respected. If you respect the pitch and play accordingly, the pitch will also respect you. If you respect the pitch, it will pay you dividends," he explained.

Ashwin has been one of the main architects for India in the ongoing Test series against Australia. The off-spinner has picked up 14 wickets in the Border Gavaskar Trophy so far, three behind the leading wicket-taker Ravindra Jadeja. India are already 2-0 up in the series and have retained the trophy.

The final two matches will have huge consequences as the results will determine the final standing of the WTC table, and will play a big part in the ICC Test rankings.

Is Bazball the future of Tests?

Bazball for now looks like a groundbreaking trend for playing Test cricket. The quick-scoring approach not only gets the scoreboard ticking, but provides entertainment as well. It has worked so well for the English side that they have continued with it in different conditions. But will it be the way to move forward? Not convinced particularly. Yes, it is working well in flat conditions, but the approach and mindset will require a tweak when the conditions change. It will be tough to implement Bazball in rank turners, or when the ball is seaming in overcast conditions. As Ashwin perfectly said, there are advantages and disadvantages. But on the other side, at least it opens up a new avenue in Test cricket, which needs to be appreciated.