'Let Us Assume a Player Throws His Bat at Everything...': R Ashwin Points Out Why India Can't Adopt Bazball

Ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on the transitional phase in Indian team and whether they can adopt the ‘Bazball-like’ approach in Test cricket. The Asian giants have played quality cricket in red-ball format in recent times on overseas tours but they have failed to win the World Test Championship despite reaching the final in the first two seasons.

Meanwhile, England’s exciting ‘Bazball’ approach has taken the cricketing world by storm as they recently stunned Australia with their ultra-attacking approach with the bat in the Ashes. They managed to draw the Ashes 2-2 despite losing the first two Tests in five-match series.

Ashwin, who is ranked 1 Test bowler, suggested that India will enter the transition phase very soon but also warned that it won’t be easy.

“We are playing Test cricket really well. But we will go through a transition very soon, and things won’t be easy during that phase. There will be a few issues here and there,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Talking about whether India can adopt a Bazball-like approach, Ashwin made a blunt admission that players will start getting dropped from XI if they failed to score consistently with the attacking approach.

“But let us assume India is adopting Bazball during this transition phase. Let us assume a player throws his bat at everything like Harry Brook and gets out and we lose two Test matches. What will we do? Will we back the Bazball and the players? We will drop at least four players from our playing XI,” he added.

The ace spinner further suggested that it’s not necessary to copy other team’s style of play just because it worked for them.

“That’s how our culture has always been. So, we can’t copy others’ style of play just because it worked for them,” continued Ashwin. “It works for them because their management is fully in with this style of play, their selectors back the players to play this way. In fact, even their crowd and Test match-watching public are backing the team in this process. But we can’t do this,” said the off-spinner.

Meanwhile, for the ODI World Cup, Ashwin wants the team to enter the marquee tournament with full positivity

“The least I am asking is when we get into the 2023 World Cup, let us send the team with full positivity. That will be my only request,” concluded the off-spinner.