Ravichandran Ashwin, the veteran Indian spinner, has criticized England’s “Bazball” approach, calling it “defenseless cricket.” Ashwin’s comments come after India’s 4-1 victory in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England.
Ashwin took particular issue with James Anderson’s claim ahead of Day 4 of the second Test that England would chase down the 399-run target within 60 overs. The result was quite different, as the visitors were bowled out and defeated comprehensively. Ashwin expressed surprise at the over-the-top statement, saying that although it was a show of positive mindset, it “went too far.”
“James Anderson went into a press conference in the second Test after winning the first considerably well. Much respect to them for winning that. He told the press that even if the 4th innings target was 500 or 600, we’ll finish it in 60 overs. Even though it was an example of their positive mindset, it felt like they had gone too far,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also believes that Bazball leans more towards being a “defenseless cricket” and although Joe Root is a great player of spin, his game was also impacted due to the style of cricket.
“The one thing I understood after the first Test is that Bazball isn’t just aggressive cricket. It is defenseless cricket. They aren’t going to play a defensive shot at all. They are going to get out if they play defense. To my surprise, Joe Root also agreed to their game plan. Because if you take world cricket’s vest defense rankings, Root is an easy number 1 on that list against spin. He also bought into their approach,” he said.
On the second day of the Rajkot Test match, Ashwin dismissed England’s Zak Crawley to pocket his 500th Test scalp. Before him, only Anil Kumble reached the milestone among Indians. He became the ninth bowler worldwide to take 500 wickets. However, hours after the feat, Ashwin went through a traumatic experience for which he had to leave the squad on an immediate basis.
“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin,” said BCCI in its release. Reports said Ashwin’s mother Chitra had suffered a medical emergency.
Now, Ashwin has revealed how exactly thing transpired. “We went to the dressing room for another debrief and then back to our rooms. Rohit, me, and others were just discussing some things about the match here and there.”
“That is when I realized I was not getting calls from my parents or wife. I thought they were busy attending calls and giving interviews. I called my wife around 7 PM, asking why my parents weren’t answering my call. Her voice was a bit shaky. She asked me to come separately from the crowd and told me that my mother collapsed after a headache,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“I blanked out. I did not know how to react or what questions to ask. I was crying but wanted to ensure nobody was watching me cry. It is unnecessary to think of it that way, but it was instinctive. I could not think. I was crying in my room for some time.”
“Then, the team physio checked on me as I was not picking up calls. Rahul Bhai and Rohit Bhai also came to check on me, and all I could tell them was that I could not think clearly,” he added.
