KANPUR: Earlier this year, India captain Rohit Sharma took offense when England’s Ben Duckett suggested that their ‘Bazball’ style influenced Yashasvi Jaiswal’s aggressive batting during the Test series in India. England introduced ‘Bazball’ in 2022, branding it as a revolutionary approach to save Test cricket through aggressive play. However, India’s performance on Monday demonstrated that they have developed their own unique brand of attacking Test batting — one that is more flexible and effective than England’s approach.
Unlike ‘Bazball’, which can sometimes seem rigid and one-dimensional, India’s batting philosophy is more adaptable. This was evident in their decision to move on from Cheteshwar Pujara in favor of Shubman Gill at No. 3, to inject more pace into their scoring. “Saving Test cricket is about playing a brand of cricket that ensures you come out on top,” India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said after the third day’s play on Monday.
Morkel added, “The crowd today had a T20 feel. Teams will assess the conditions, and if they allow quick scoring and pushing the game forward, that’s what will happen.”
Comparing India’s and England’s batting performances over the last two years reveals more frequent collapses for England, while India has been more successful in their counter-attacking approach. India’s aggressive intent was again on full display on Monday, showing they can unleash their ‘all-out attack’ mode when necessary and execute it better than most teams.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill demonstrated this perfectly, starting cautiously on a tricky surface before switching gears to dismantle the Bangladesh attack. “That’s the beauty of our batting lineup,” Morkel said. “We have guys who can adapt. They can take the game on when needed and can also bat for long periods. The key is putting bowlers under pressure.”
India’s batting lineup has largely been shaped by the fast-paced world of T20 cricket. Except for Jaiswal, every batter down to No. 8 has captained an IPL team at some point in their career. On Monday, fans were treated to a masterclass in shot-making — punchy drives, lofted shots, powerful sweeps, and reverse sweeps all featured as the Indian batters showcased their all-format expertise.
Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz acknowledged the difficulty of planning against India’s ‘all-format’ batsmen. “They aren’t just one-format players; they excel in all three formats and adapt well to different situations. It’s a lesson for other teams,” Miraz said.
Monday’s session felt more like a T20 match, with India’s clear intent to win. As Miraz pointed out, “Cricket is a game of scoring runs. In the first innings, we tried to score quickly to reach a safe position, but lost a few wickets in the process.”
At this moment, India seems to have mastered the art of power play in Test cricket, proving their aggressive approach can outclass the much-hyped ‘Bazball’.
