India Vs England – India succumbed to the tactics of Bazball-In the first test between India Vs England, India faced a disheartening 28-run defeat, with the visitors delivering an exceptional performance in both batting and bowling during the second innings, ultimately securing the victory. Despite a challenging start in the initial two days, England dominated on Days 3 and 4.
Ollie Pope emerged as the pivotal factor behind England’s triumph, showcasing a remarkable innings of 196 runs that left Indian spinners perplexed on the turning tracks. His adept execution of sweep shots became the key to his success, enabling England to establish a lead of 230 runs, overturning a previous deficit of 190 runs. Switching roles to the bowling department, Tom Hartley dismantled the Indian batting lineup, claiming 7 wickets and restricting them to a total of 202 runs.
While commending Ollie Pope’s performance, Rahul Dravid acknowledged that he has never witnessed batters executing sweeps and reverse sweeps with such precision against top-tier spinners. Addressing the media in a press conference, Dravid elaborated on this aspect.
“We need to find a way to counter Bazball. I haven’t witnessed players consistently executing sweeps and reverse sweeps against bowlers of such high quality. While attempts have been made in the past, resulting in exceptional innings, the level of consistent and successful play, with minimal mistakes, is something I haven’t observed before.
Especially noteworthy is the reverse sweep. Although the conventional sweep has been utilized by players in the past, executing a reverse sweep with such consistency and success over an extended period, as demonstrated by Pope, deserves commendation.”
Rahul Dravid emphasized the necessity for improved discipline from Indian spinners in their bowling approach. Despite the challenge, he remains optimistic about a comeback, citing previous instances where the team faced adversity.
Acknowledging the need for better plans against Ollie Pope in the upcoming game, Dravid stressed the importance of meticulous execution by his team. He explained:
Need to counter Bazball
“We must enhance our discipline in terms of where we pitch the ball. We’re committed to working on it, and with our world-class spinners, we anticipate improvement. This isn’t the first time they’ve faced challenges. One of the positive aspects of our spinners is their resilience, always bouncing back.”
“Pope indeed delivered an outstanding innings, and when someone performs exceptionally, we’ll acknowledge it with a handshake and congratulations. Our focus now is on responding effectively. We must devise plans and strategies to challenge Pope, encouraging him to play those shots from even more challenging lines.
To achieve this, we need to enhance our discipline and precision in execution, as our performance was slightly off in that regard. With improved execution in the next Test, we hope to create situations where Pope may make mistakes.
The upcoming second Test between India and England is scheduled for 2nd February in Vizag. Led by Rohit Sharma, the Indian team is eager to stage a comeback and level the series.”
