England's Bazball 2.0 beats Shubman Gill's nascent India Test captaincy

The National

7 hours ago

When India won the preceding home series against England 4-1 last year, it was thought that the much-hyped 'Bazball' cricket would be buried quickly.
After all, an all-out attacking brand of batting only works in conditions that reward positivity over caution. The moment the pitch starts to do something out of the ordinary, the same attacking mindset starts to resemble recklessness.
But, as they say, fortune favours the brave. And if England wanted to pull off what seemed unthinkable, 2025 was the year.
This is the year of firsts; PSG won their first Uefa Champions League title, Bengaluru lifted their first IPL trophy, Spurs clinched the Europa League for their first trophy in 17 years, South Africa won their maiden world cricket title in the WTC final against Australia … this list is quite long.
So could England really hope to win the opening Test in Leeds against India who had five of their batters score centuries? It had never happened in the history of cricket, but this is the year of firsts.
India were on the brink of batting England out of the contest at 430-3 in the first innings as three top order players hit tons. Then, the visitors lost 7-41. It was a similar story in the second innings where India went from 333-4 to 364 all out.
A target of under 400 (371) on the last day of a Test on a true surface was just what England wanted. India's bowling had already been exposed in the first innings and they possessed no real threat apart from Jasprit Bumrah.
And this is where Bazball 2.0 – named after swashbuckling former batter and England coach Brendon McCullum – became into being.
The first innings score of 465 was mainly down to luck as India grassed six clear chances, including the wicket of Harry Brook off a no-ball. Brook went on to make 99, handing India a slender lead of just six.
Had the tourists taken any of the chances, they would have had a substantial lead and could have buried the game on Day 4. But there was hardly any luck involved on the final day.
Openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley added 188 for the opening wicket inside 43 overs, ensuring the required rate never went beyond four even if a couple of wickets fell.
Duckett in particular stood out for his ploy against the biggest threat on the last day pitch – left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-handed batter reverse swept Jadeja into oblivion, forcing the Indian team to switch to a defensive line and field placing. That in turn allowed England to milk the bowling without taking many risks.
Duckett's 149 from 170 balls was as breathtaking as it was chanceless, for most parts.
It took ages for Gill to understand what was being done to Jadeja, who simply could not attack the rough outside the left-handers' off stump.
Even after Duckett, Brook and Ben Stokes got out, England did not panic. Joe Root and Jamie Smith remained positive against the rest of the attack and played out Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj.
India had dominated most of the first four days of the Test. But England were always close behind, never letting India move too far ahead and pouncing on every mistake from the visitors with the bat and in the field.
That is what Bazball 2.0 should entail; an attacking mindset that also allows for holding patterns and absorbing punches.
India, on the other hand, played like a team led by an inexperienced leader.
Gill looked completely lost as England reverse swept Jadeja all day; he did not ask Jadeja to bowl a wider line and use the rough earlier in the innings.
On the final day, senior batter KL Rahul was seen setting the field. That suggests the team composition, field setting and even bowling changes are being done through consensus and not a strong leadership.
India's main bowlers – Bumrah and Siraj – went wicketless on the final day. And Gill had no response.
Still, one can't be too critical of Gill as India's fielders dropped close to 10 chances in the Test; Yashasvi Jaiswal grassing most of them.
Had India held on to those opportunities, even average captaincy would have been enough to secure a draw, if not outright victory.
As things stand, England showed the value of staying switched on in every session, even when the opposition is 430-3 in the first innings.
For Gill, it was a tough initiation to Test cricket captaincy where India became the first team in history to lose a match despite hitting five centuries. England, meanwhile, chased down the 10th highest target in Tests.
How many more firsts will be seen over the next four Tests will depend upon England's clarity in their approach and India's willingness to acknowledge and address their mistakes.