India’s dominant performance in the fifth T20I against England was a clear reflection of their new aggressive approach under head coach Gautam Gambhir. After the match, Gambhir emphasized that the team is committed to playing “high-risk, high-reward cricket,” aiming to score 250-260 in every T20I. This intent was evident throughout the series, as India maintained an attacking mindset despite losing wickets in clusters in the final two matches.

The results vindicated their bold approach. In Pune, India scored 189 runs losing nine wickets, and in Mumbai, they accumulated 247/9. Both totals led to comprehensive victories. While veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin appreciates this attacking approach, he cautioned India against blindly following England’s ‘Bazball’ philosophy, which has often backfired.
“I read that Gambhir wants the team to score 240-260 in every game, and I fully support this approach. But I have one suggestion for the ‘Gambhir Gambit’—keep playing this way, but don’t become like England!” Ravichandran Ashwin quipped on his YouTube channel. “You can call it Bazball or any other name, but it’s not a flawless approach.”
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Ashwin observed that this ultra-aggressive approach by England always seems to bring in more losses than victories and is, hence, something that they must worry about the most. Ashwin felt that England players appeared quite unperturbed even while losing wickets.

The message there seemed more like a submission than urgency. “There is a thin line between aggressive cricket and reckless cricket. India is playing aggressive cricket, but England is bordering on recklessness,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.
The off-spinner also spoke of the frustration regarding India’s concussion substitute in the fourth T20I. The hosts were peeved when India substituted all-rounder Shivam Dube with fast bowler Harshit Rana who eventually took three wickets to make a real difference in winning the game for India. And on the last match, the response came when Dube managed two wickets to raise questions on the issue from England regarding their complaints with Ashwin.
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“If I were England, I would be seriously concerned. Bazball may be thrilling, but it’s certainly not winning enough games. They complained that Rana was replaced, and then they lost wickets to Dube in the second game. So what is the difference? If that’s the case, then they should have taken it as a challenge to prove a point,” Ravichandran Ashwin summed up.