Indian skipper Rohit Sharma admits that he is still puzzled by the term “bazball” despite praising England’s valiant approach and aggressive mindset of play ahead of the fifth and final Test match at HPCA starting on Thursday.
Ever since Brendon McCullum took over as England’s head coach and Ben Stokes assumed the captaincy, their unconventional approach to Test cricket, dubbed “bazball,” had captured imaginations worldwide.
However, after India beat England by five wickets in Ranchi to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the 5-Test series, it marked the first Test series loss for England since McCullum took over the major role.
“I just don’t know what bazball means. I haven’t seen wild swinging from anyone. England have played better cricket than they were here last time. But I still don’t know what bazball means,” said Rohit Sharma in the press-conference.
But the India captain wasn’t one to miss a chance to inject some humour into the proceedings. When England opener Ben Duckett praised Yashasvi Jaiswal for his attacking cricket, Rohit couldn’t resist reminding him of the flamboyant Rishabh Pant, who was known for his audacious strokeplay.
“When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they’re playing differently than how other people play Test cricket,” Duckett had said in the third Test.
Rohit reminded Duckett about India wicketkeeper-batter Pant, who is currently out of action due to multiple injuries he suffered during a car crash in December 2022.
“There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Ben Duckett hasn’t seen him play,” Rohit said.
As the conversation turned to the series itself, Rohit reflected on India’s ability to bounce back from tough situations. Indeed, it had been a rollercoaster ride with moments of brilliance and resilience.
“It has been a series of comebacks for us. Whenever we were put under pressure we were able to put the pressure back on the opposition. That was pleasing for me,” he said.
India are 3-1 up in the series and will look to end the series on a high note with a win at Dharamshala