Its time for Rahul Dravid | to take a cue from Bazball
The strategies used by the two teams—Iffy India and Exciting England—have been a study in contrast.
On Day 4, just after India’s batting lineup imploded against a rookie spinner in Hyderabad, head coach Rahul Dravid discussed the shots that would have been effective on such grounds. “I think it’s dangerous to use your feet to the left-hand spinner in these conditions; you’ll probably need to play a bit more square to the wicket.” it being said, Dravid added, “that is also a high risk shot.” Is it better to play one dangerous shot and prevent another risky one?
This kind of psychological dithering may have contributed to the unsteady Indian batting performance in the opening Test. It’s fascinating to note that Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma support their batsmen in developing their own style—exactly what England coach Brendon McCullum recommends. However, Bazball stands behind the hours spent developing the necessary skill sets to tread that dangerous route and the mental preparation for the aggressive kind of cricket. In difficult circumstances, Indians tend to overlook the need of clarity, courage, and competence.
Dravid left his position in the media room shortly after, when Ollie Pope and England captain Ben Stokes came. It was a contrast study. Pope said on this surface that he thought the reverse-sweep was just as safe as a defensive shot on the way to 196. However, something more remarkable was present. We practice such shots a lot, so you won’t hear a lot of talk in the locker room if you are called out for not playing a reverse sweep. He would reply, “You can go and commit to it.”
There was none of that commitment in the Indian approach. Yashasvi Jaiswal went down the track in the second innings, but he became evasive when he couldn’t find the ball in his area. Even worse was Shubman Gill, who skillfully guided a ball directly to ludicrous point like he was practicing catching. To no one’s surprise, the ball nestled in the slips after even Shreyas Iyer, who is always so aggressive against spin, gave it a feeble flail as it was leaving him. Axar Patel removed the ball with ease, merely patting it to the bowler. And so it continued.
As a sort of captain, Rohit enjoys setting an example for his team and thinks that they will follow suit. It all came down to Rohit’s pre-tournament chat with his teammates about how he was going to take an offensive tack at the ODI World Cup last year. They trailed after him. He did attempt to set the tone in the second inning by performing reverse sweeps and reverse laps. Because of his prominence, he doesn’t always have to determine the direction; rather, he may assist in articulating a dedicated strategy for his younger teammates and mentor them, along with Dravid, on how to proceed.
similar to how McCullum and Stokes do. Not only did they have a one-time philosophical discussion about their self-expression as batters, but they also actively prepared for this series by spending hours in the United Arab Emirates perfecting their ability to pick strokes to play. They may not have succeeded in the second Test, but that is unimportant since they possessed a well-cultivated strategy and clarity that India does not possess. It won’t help if it takes until the end of the test to conclude that “playing square is risky, but going down the track is not wise.”
The fact that a batsman like Pope has experienced something of a rebirth under the new management says a lot about the Bazball effect. After McCullum assumed the role of coach, he called Pope right away. When I received a call from Baz (McCullum), I was in Cornwall. You will be in the squad and you will bat three as well, he said. Call it what you will—the red-ball reset, for example—but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Pope stated, “I feel like I can be a No 3 in red-ball cricket for the first time.
Pope entered the Bazball Universe in this manner. Additionally, McCullum and Stokes have charmed veterans like Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. “I’ve returned to the early days of Jonny, when all you do is watch and see the ball.” Take a listen to Root’s statement, “I still have the Yorkshireman inside of me telling me to get behind it, play straight, and dig in.” The captain is perched on my shoulder, telling me to “be a rock star.”
“More dreams are killed by doubt than by failure,” McCullum recently stated to Forbes magazine. “I truly think you may still learn something from failure. So you advance and improve. It’s acceptable to fail, but in my opinion, it’s not acceptable to give something up or to let your potential go undeveloped because you’re afraid to try.
Regarding coaching, McCullum stated, “The important thing from a leadership perspective is that when failure does occur, I’d still be there to pick them up, and I’d still be there to encourage them to have a go next time.” Since taking over as head coach of England, he has a captain who thinks similarly in Stokes, who is spearheading their attack from the dressing room.
The reaction of other teams to an aggressive team such as England has been to go on the defensive. The similar mistake was made by India as well, especially with the bat in the second innings when they allowed a young group of spinners to set the tempo. India has a formidable challenge after dealing a brutal blow directly to the face. They also need to be much more proactive in the second Test at Vizag because KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Virat Kohli are not available. There are many risks along their trip. The question is whether or not they accept it.
