Former England captain Michael Vaughan has offered valuable advice to current skipper Joe Root, urging him to revert to his natural style of play and steer clear of the ‘Bazball’ approach during the ongoing Test series in India. Following India’s leveling of the five-match series at 1-1, with Jasprit Bumrah’s stellar nine-wicket performance and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s remarkable century in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, England faces critical decisions ahead.
Under the coaching of Brendon McCullum and the leadership of Ben Stokes, England has embraced an aggressive batting approach, marked by an abundance of reverse sweeps, tailored to counter the spin-friendly conditions in India. However, Root has grappled with form, with modest scores of 29, 2, 5, and 16 in the first two Tests, prompting concern among cricket pundits.
Root’s unconventional left-handed batting in the nets ahead of the second Test raised eyebrows, signifying a potential departure from his natural game. Vaughan, in his column for the UK Telegraph, emphasized that Root, with over 10,000 Test runs to his credit, need not adhere to Bazball tactics, advocating for a return to his original batting style.
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Expressing his views, Michael Vaughan remarked, “They are in fifth gear from ball one… Joe Root should forget it. He has 10,000 Test runs playing like Joe Root. He doesn’t need to be a Bazballer. It is time for someone in the management to put an arm around Joe and say ‘please just be yourself’.”
Highlighting Root’s prowess as one of England’s premier players of spin alongside Graham Gooch, Vaughan lamented the right-hander’s dismissal in the second Test, describing it as uncharacteristic and detrimental to England’s chances in India.
Vaughan voiced concerns over the long-term viability of the Bazball strategy, pointing to missed opportunities such as the drawn Ashes series last year. While acknowledging the team’s positive aspects on the current tour, he stressed the importance of refining England’s batting approach for sustained success.
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“I do worry that they might become a team who do all this great work only to not actually win very much… England have done a lot right on this tour so far and I genuinely believe they can win. But to do that, they need to smarten up their batting, and fast,” Michael Vaughan concluded, underscoring the urgency for a tactical reassessment.
