Bazball bubble is to blame for England’s worst defeat of the Ben Stokes era

19/02/2024

England’s senior players will need to rethink before the fourth Test starts on Friday – Reuters/Amit Dave

This England team are a bundle of energy and have already brought us huge excitement and joy. But surely a defeat this heavy has to be a wake-up call for Ben Stokes and his players.

The way they played this week has gifted India a victory. I couldn’t believe my eyes the way they batted on day three, especially Joe Root’s shot.

You are 230 behind on day three, thinking a brilliant bowler in Ravichandran Ashwin may play no further part in the Test, and Ravindra Jadeja is looking a bit stiff. It’s 1-1 in the series and you have your best player at the crease. From there, you can see a route to victory, and it involves batting all day and getting a lead.

It was no time for extravagant risks, but Root took one. I hear people say “but he played it against Pat Cummins!” and, yeah, he did. But England were on top when he did that. Here, they were 221 behind on day three in India, with the series finely poised. The time for that risk was when Root had 70-plus and they were approaching India’s total, trying to put the foot down and ask big questions. Making that error brought India to life. The reward would not even have been that great. Yes, it looks fun, but you are still at best 215 behind. Could he have not pushed that ball into the covers for a single?

I’m not sure I quite agree with my colleague Scyld Berry that it’s the worst shot in England’s Test history, but it’s right up there, given the context.

It’s a shot that really worries me. It shows England have learnt nothing from the Ashes. The collapse that followed was reminiscent of Lord’s, when Nathan Lyon hobbled off with England 182 for one, and they gifted them all those wickets. That’s why they lost that Test, not because Jonny Bairstow was stumped.

When the message came through that Ashwin had gone, I bet no one mentioned Lord’s, because that’s deemed negative, and not the right message. That is claptrap. It’s called common sense, and learning from the mistakes of the past. No great sporting team has ever not learnt from past mistakes and improved. The coaches and senior players need to be having some tougher conversations to ensure they learn.

This England team are hell bent on doing things their way, and “saving Test cricket”. They are giving Test cricket a shot in the arm because they are so exciting. But ultimately they have to be better than that now. They didn’t win in New Zealand, they didn’t win the Ashes, and if they carry on like this, they are going to lose in India. As a team, you are judged on series victories.

Listen to them, and you would think nothing is ever wrong. Jimmy Anderson said they would chase 600 in Vizag. Ben Duckett said “the more the better” in terms of their target this week, but they fell 434 short. Duckett also reckons they deserve credit for the way Yashasvi Jaiswal is batting, as if no player in history has ever played an attacking shot. They talk about not playing for the draw, but to me that’s disrespectful to Test cricket. The draw is a crucial part of the game, and in five-Test contest has often provided the bedrock of some great series victories.

They have to be careful that people around don’t think they are smug, or above their station. Root’s shot was another reminder that they are in a bubble. All that matters is their dressing room, and fun. There is a bit more to Test cricket than that.

Jaiswal’s double century was conventional but far from boring – GETTY IMAGES/PUNIT PARANJPE

If England are honest, their batting has been poor on this tour. They have made two of the best hundreds I have ever seen, from Ollie Pope and Duckett. Let’s not let them paper over the cracks: two incredible innings do not define a batting unit’s tour. Root is struggling, Bairstow looks all at sea. Stokes is getting starts and playing with control, but not going on. That’s another thing that confuses me about Root’s shot. The captain doesn’t Bazball until he’s with the tail, so why does the best batsman feel he needs to do it?

Batting first has been a big help for India but they have worked out the perfect type of pitches to play England on, and I’d expect the last two to be similar. They don’t need to turn too much. England’s spinners are very inexperienced and doing everything they can, but they are not in the same league as guys who aren’t even getting in the India team like Axar Patel.

The first pitch in Hyderabad did more, so Tom Hartley got seven wickets, and England’s more attacking approach made sense. But in the last two, England needed to rein it in a bit. This style of play can take games away from opponents, but it can also bring them back into it. And at the moment, they are providing opportunities for the best opponents. Another problem with England’s batting is that it’s giving the bowlers no rest. It was no surprise that they shipped 430 in the second innings and looked absolutely shot.

They need to look at the way Jaiswal and Shubman Gill played on day three. They soaked up the pressure for 30 or 40 balls, and then they started to get boundaries. That is what Test batting is about. India have scored 875 runs in 228.5 overs. No one can tell me it’s been boring watching India bat here.

England make out that everything is positive but they need to be having conversations about how to bat better. This was the worst defeat under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, and one that exposed their method. They cannot take the aggressive at every opportunity, they have to pick their moments.

From the position England found themselves in on day three, India, with all their absentees, were there for the taking. Now, unless England change, India will dominate the rest of the series.