Six things that helped India burst Bazball bubble
England, each Test lasting a shorter time than the previous one, will not put an end to Bazball. That school of thought and style of play will likely be in evidence till the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes pairing continues. But this series will emphatically lay to rest the claims that this is either the best way to play Test cricket, or indeed the only way.
For some time now England have been evangelists, claiming that their brand of cricket is breathing fresh life into a format in decline. The sordid truth, though, is that winning matters more than playing bright cricket. Fans of any team do not like losing, and throughout this series, England have created opportunities and repeatedly fluffed them. India were just too good. And there’s a range of factors that allowed them to be so.
SPIN THRILL
R Ashwin picked up his 500th Test wicket and played in his 100th Test match. And yet, questions are routinely raised over his efficacy. It has been said, without any basis in reality, that he feasts on turning tracks at home but fails to deliver overseas. The fact is, a spinner’s role is completely different when bowling early in a Test match in South Africa, England, New Zealand or Australia, where conditions are designed to negate slow bowlers. And yet, on very good pitches in the course of this five-Test series, Ashwin has delivered time and time again. This is through skill, experience, learning and control.
THE SUPPORT CAST
When Ashwin was not doing his thing, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav stepped up. England’s
