India pulled off an unexpected victory over Bangladesh in the second Test match in Kanpur.
Team India pulled off an unexpected victory over Bangladesh in the second Test match at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur on Tuesday (October 1).
The Test match saw over two days of play being lost due to rain and a wet outfield, but the hosts still managed to romp to a seven-wicket win and 2-0 series sweep thanks to unprecedented attacking batting which saw them make the record for fastest team 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 in longest format.
After the Indian bowlers ran through the Bangladesh batting line-up to bundle them out for 233 in the first innings on Day 4, Rohit Sharma’s men took the visiting attack to the cleaners, posting 285/9 in just 34.2 overs.
While Rohit (23 off 11) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (72 off 51) set the tone with a 55-run stand in just 3.5 overs, the likes of Shubman Gill (39 off 36), Virat Kohli (47 off 35) and KL Rahul (68 off 43) carried on the demolition job to help India gain a crucial 52-run lead.
India's aggressive intent was lauded the fans, experts and former cricketers alike. However, ex-England cricketer Michael Vaughan made a cheeky remark on social media platform X as he wrote, "I see India are playing Bazball", referring to England's famed ultra-aggressive approach in Test cricket under Brendon McCullum’s coaching.
While Vaughan's post drew him a lot of flak, he didn’t shy away from making further similar remarks, claiming that England revolutionized the way Test cricket is played with Bazball.
Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast alongside Australian legend Adam Gilchrist, Vaughan said India have “become Bazballers.”
“I've to say, this is a remarkable Test match. India went on to bat... their cricket is fantastic. It is great to see India now becoming Bazballers. They got 285 in 34.4 overs, they copied England,” Vaughan stated, leaving Gilchrist in splits.
Sharing his two cents on this topic, Gilchrist said India's style of batting during the second Test is being labelled ‘Gamball’ - a wordplay on head coach Gautam Gambhir.
“I think you're fine. Gambhir has already patented GamBall. Now, England need to tread carefully,” said Gilchrist.
“Gamball looks quite similar to Bazball for me,” Vaughan replied.
The Kanpur Test win strengthened India’s position at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. They are firm-favorites to make it to the WTC final for the third consecutive time.
India’s next Test series, featuring three matches, is scheduled against New Zealand at home, starting October 16 in Bengaluru.