The battle between England’s Bazball and India’s Jamball, as R Ashwin titled a video on his YouTube channel, reached a pivotal point at the end of the third Test. With India leading 2-1 after the record-breaking 434-run win, coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma seemed to have arrived with a blueprint to crack the Bazball code and its 22 yards in length. As Rajkot proved, a paata, a track that does its thing on the final two days, is the perfect antidote for England’s aggressive Bazball style of play.
Those in the know say that the Indian team have done away with the turners not due to some ethical concerns, but a deeply-thought-out punt on how it will play out against this England team. Though Rohit Sharma would deny any involvement with the pitches at the end of the third Test: “We come two days to the venue before a game, and we play what the curator prepares.” He said it with such a wondrous straight face that it’s clear why his acting talent in advertisements have considerably improved in recent times.
Ashwin, however, had explained the rationale. “It is supposed to be that way, to cash in if there is a fourth-innings possibility and the wicket deteriorates. The way they are playing is high-risk cricket and you would expect the rub of the green to go your way, like how it did in Vizag.” And in Rajkot.
