Former England captain Michael Vaughan has drawn parallels between India’s aggressive batting approach in the second Test against Bangladesh and England’s “Bazball” philosophy. India’s batters displayed an attacking mindset in their first innings, setting the tone for a quickfire response at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.
Vaughan took to Twitter to express his observations, writing, “I see India are playing Bazball.” He compared India’s onslaught to England’s Bazball approach, a term coined for their attacking style of cricket under red-ball coach Brendon McCullum.
India posted a total of 285/9 in 34.4 overs, declaring their innings with a lead of 52 runs. The outburst was led by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who smashed a 31-ball half-century, and Rohit Sharma, who contributed an 11-ball 23 with three sixes and a four.
Jaiswal’s knock of 72 off 51 balls, including 12 fours and two maximums, helped India complete their fastest team 50 and 100 in 18 and 61 balls, respectively. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, India’s scoring rate remained high, with Shubman Gill (39), Virat Kohli (47), and KL Rahul also contributing at blistering strike rates.
India’s hunger for quick runs reflects their intent to secure a result after two days of the game were washed out due to rain and a wet outfield. The victory would further bolster their bid for a third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final.
However, if the Kanpur Test ends in a draw, India will face an uphill task of winning five Tests from the remaining eight matches in the current WTC cycle. After the Bangladesh series, India will host New Zealand for a three-Test series in October before embarking on a five-Test tour of Australia.
