‘Bazball’ faces a tough test

Hyderabad – England’s “Bazball” style of attacking cricket faces its biggest challenge yet when they play an India side who have not lost a home Test series in more than a decade.

The five-Test series begins tomorrow in Hyderabad, and although India will be without Virat Kohli for the first two matches because of personal reasons, they start as clear favourites.

But it was England who were the last team to beat India on home turf, when Alastair Cook’s team won a four-match series 2-1.

Monty Panesar, who was part of that team, said the tourists had nothing to fear in a series where spin is expected to play a huge part.

“England have got every chance of winning Test matches out there,” the former England spinner told talkSPORT.

“They’ve got to have a positive mindset. Ben Stokes himself, he’s got to think, ‘Can I make Bazball successful on turning pitches?’

“That’s obviously going to be his biggest challenge.”

Skipper Stokes (above) and England prepared in Abu Dhabi instead of playing a tour match in India, which drew criticism in some quarters at home and raised fears England could be “undercooked”.

Underlining the scale of the task facing England, Panesar added: “If he wins in India he will probably be known as one of the greatest captains ever to captain England, and one of the greatest captains ever in Test cricket.”

India and England drew 2-2 in their last series meeting in England in 2021-22.

India recently drew a twomatch Test series in South Africa, before a 3-0 Twenty20 International sweep of Afghanistan at home ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.

But they are a different proposition on the turning tracks at home.

Top players including skipper Rohit Sharma will switch back to Test mode in the matches, which will carry points for the World Test Championship.

India are second behind Australia in the championship table.

England languish in eighth and will need wins in the India series if they want to play the final at Lord’s next year.