England may have bamboozled India in the first two Tests with their ultra-aggressive style of play in Hyderabad and Vizag, but come the third Test it was the same aggressive approach they led to their downfall in Rajkot during the third Test, losing the match by a whopping 434-run margin.
Chasing an improbable target of 557, England were bundled out for 122 in 39.4 overs drawing criticism from various quarters on how England opted to approach the chase. With ample time to play, many former cricketers opined that England could have toned down their attacking mindset, especially how they got out. Joe Root’s dismissal in the second innings – caught slips trying a reverse lap of Jasprit Bumrah – stuck out as a sore thumb.
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Former Australian cricket Aaron Finch believes that England are getting so far ahead of the game because of their scoring rate, and they should just swallow their pride and get the game on their terms. Finch, who recently announced his retirement from the game also implied that England need to show game awareness as well.
“I think there needs to be game awareness. They’re getting so far ahead of the game because they’re scoring quickly and that’s just because of their intent. Sometimes, just for a session, just swallow your pride and get the game on your terms. Their openers are giving them a great platform but they’re just not capitalising on it,” said Finch during ESPNcricinfo’s show ‘Around the Wicket’.
On the other hand, Finch’s long-time teammate Micheal Clarke said that England should show conviction to stick to their gameplan if they are to get better of India in the series.
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“I think it’s one of those things where you live by the sword, and you die by it. This is the time for England to come together and Bazball or whatever you call it, if this is how you want to play then you have to back yourselves and not care what other people think. If you think that’s the best chance of beating India then back yourselves,” Clarke said on the same show.
On criticism coped by Root, Clarke stated that even though he may not necessarily need to resort to the ultra-aggressive approach of batting to score runs, he has brought into the idea of Bazball and Ben Stokes would want all his players to attest to the idea.
For someone like Joe Root, that’s why it’s a big talking point because people feel that Joe needs to play such shots and can’t help continuing playing the same way. But it’s a team sport. If one is in then I think Ben Stokes would want everyone to be in,” Clarke added.
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