Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has launched a scathing attack on England’s “Bazball” approach, which he believes led to their dismal performance in the recently concluded Test series against India. England began the series with a resounding victory in Hyderabad, but their fortunes took a nosedive thereafter, as they lost the next four Tests to concede the series 1-4.
Sehwag, known for his forthright opinions, took to social media to express his dismay at England’s tactics. “Bazball, Batti Gull,” he wrote. “There needs to be a method to madness. England simply didn’t have the game to match and looked clueless particularly after the second test match.”
The former opener pointed out that England’s captain, Ben Stokes, failed to lead by example, which compounded their problems. “The captain failing miserably only added to their woes and they simply looked like living in an illusion,” Sehwag added.
Sehwag believes that England’s “Bazball” approach, which emphasizes aggressive batting, is flawed. “For this method to succeed, there needs to be a method to madness, which England severely lacked,” he wrote.
Stokes, however, defended England’s approach, arguing that it is necessary to take risks in order to score runs against India’s formidable bowling attack. “When India get on top, especially with the ball, they get a lot of men around the bat and with the quality of their (spin) bowlers…you’ve got to find ways of getting rid of those close fielders,” Stokes explained.
“And that comes with risk, and risks don’t always pay off. You’ve just got to be positive enough to take that risk, accept that it may lead to your downfall. But when the intent is there and you have a clear reason as to why you are playing that shot, you can hold your hands up and accept it.”
Despite Stokes’s defense, Sehwag remains unconvinced. He believes that England’s approach is unsustainable and will ultimately lead to more failures. “England need to go back to the drawing board and reassess their strategy,” he said. “They need to find a way to balance aggression with caution, and they need to be more consistent with their batting.”
