India vs England: Will be interesting to see if England sticks to Bazball whole series, says Zaheer Khan

The focus will be on Bazball and whether England sticks to their new-found policy when under pressure in India, said bowling great Zaheer Khan. India and England are set for five-match Test series which starts in Hyderabad on 25 January. The last time England won a Test series in India was in 2012, but there is a lot of buzz this time around since the visiting team adopted Bazball style of play under coach Brendon MCcullum. In an exclusive show titled ‘Insiders Preview Ind vs Eng’ on JioCinema, Zaheer Khan, Parthiv Patel and Pragyan Ojha provided a broad overview of what fans can expect from the mouth-watering contest ahead. They discussed England’s approach that revolves around Bazball, the pitches on offer and the importance of the toss. Excerpts:

On the teams’ approach to the series

Zaheer Khan: You don’t often see a five-Test series taking place these days. Bazball will remain in focus, and we’ll see whether England’s approach will remain the same. The kind of pitches that we’ll be playing on will also be another point of discussion for sure. But both teams will be eager to prove their supremacy.

On the concept of Bazball which has been so effective but is still untested in India

Pragyan Ojha: Bazball involves playing fearless cricket and England tries to gain a psychological edge using this strategy. Executing Bazball will be difficult in India because it won’t be easy to play the Indian spinners or for that matter Jasprit Bumrah and the other pace bowlers.

On India’s approach in the context of the World Test Championships standings

Parthiv Patel: I think the Indian team will aim for 5-0. I think they need a 4-0 win to get to the top of the WTC standings. Looking at the last cycle, India won a lot of overseas Tests. I don’t think India need to change their approach. It’s the visiting teams that have to come up with different strategies. It remains to be seen whether Bazball will work here or not. If the ball spins, I don’t think it will work here because there’s too much quality in India’s spin attack that includes Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.

On the confidence that England will carry after their 3-0 series win over Pakistan in 2022

Pragyan Ojha: I feel England will be very confident with the strategy they have adopted. But they need a back-up plan. Because the conditions won’t be like what they were in Pakistan. The wickets were slightly better and favoured the batsmen. Here, the conditions will favour the spinners. So how they tackle this will be very important. Their performance in the first Test will set the tone of the series.

On the pitches that can be expected

Parthiv Patel: I think every venue will have its own character. We may see similar tracks in Hyderabad and Vizag. In Rajkot, if they prepare a good wicket, we may see a lot of runs being scored. Their fast bowlers can hope to get some help in Dharamsala. At every venue, how many runs they get in the first innings, will be crucial. Winning the toss too will be crucial for them. If they lose the toss, it will be very difficult for them to come back.

Catch all the live action from India vs England – 1st Test starting January 25, 2024, Thursday, 9:30 AM onwards, LIVE & Exclusive on JioCinema, Sports18 1 (SD +HD) and Colors Cineplex (SD+HD)