NEW DELHI:
England
‘s cricket coach
Brendon McCullum
has openly admitted that the team’s much-touted ‘
Bazball
‘ approach requires significant adjustments following their 4-1 Test series defeat against India.
In a candid assessment, McCullum conceded to the travelling British media, “Sometimes, you can get away with things. But when you’re exposed the way we have been in the back end of this series in particular, it does require some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment to make sure we’re staying true to what we believe in.”
Highlighting the pressure exerted by the Indian team, McCullum noted, “If anything, we got more timid as the series went on, and that was because of the pressure that was applied to us by the Indian lineup.”
The series saw promising performances from Indian youngsters in the absence of key players like
Virat Kohli
and
Mohammed Shami
.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
, Dhruv Jurel, and
Sarfaraz Khan
made significant contributions, complicating matters for the visitors.
This series loss marked the first setback for England in the ‘Bazball’ era, sparking debates about the team’s one-dimensional approach.
McCullum acknowledged, “There are some things where you can get a little bit of luck on your side and you paper over a couple of the cracks. When you are exposed in the way we have been here, you know that you have to get better in some areas.”
Reflecting on England’s missed opportunities and lapses in judgment, McCullum suggested, “Whether that affected our approach a little bit and put some doubt in our minds that wasn’t there early in the series, I’m not really sure why at this point in time.”
Looking ahead, McCullum stressed the importance of refining England’s approach to ensure they are better prepared for future challenges.
“The next couple of months will be us working out that and making sure when we come to the summer we are a more refined version of what we are at the minute,” he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)