Former India batsman Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said England have no chance of turning things around in the ongoing five-match Test series after the heavy defeat in the third Test.
Ben Stokes & Co. started their tour of India on a stunning note by beating the hosts in the first Test. They performed well in the second Test as well but ended up losing the game by 106 runs. However, India completely dismantled them in the third Test and inflicted a humiliating 434-run defeat on them.
Chasing 557, the tourists were bowled out for just 122 runs. The defeat is England’s heaviest in terms of runs since 1934 while it is India’s biggest victory in red-ball format. Many believe that the heavy defeat is a wake-up call for England. Several former England captains have already started targeting the Bazball, saying that the team cannot rely on just one approach in Test cricket.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth on England’s chances:
While the current England side have been proving the critics wrong in recent times, Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes they won’t be able to stage a comeback in the ongoing series. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former India captain said that Bazball is overhyped before joking that the visitors could take the next flight back home to avoid further humiliation.
“If possible, they can catch the next flight home. But, they have to play the remaining two Tests. 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,” said Krishnamachari Srikkanth.
Speaking further, Krishnamachari Srikkanth opined that the Bazball approach is unlikely to work for long in Tests. He stated that the players need to adapt in Tests and not rely on a one-dimensional approach to do well.
“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. Sometimes, you need to adapt. You can’t just keep on saying… I feel it’s overhyped. That’s my feeling. I may be wrong,” said Srikkanth.
The much-awaited fourth Test of the series is scheduled to be played on February 23 in Ranchi. While high-flying India will be aiming to wrap up the series, England would be desperate to bounce back.
