Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers took a ‘bazball’ jibe at England after India raced to 119/1 in 23 overs on day one of the first Test which got underway in Hyderabad on January 25, 2024.
The aggressive strategy of Test batting called 'Bazball' (named after the nickname of England coach and former New Zealand cricket Brendon McCullum" dominated headlines ahead of the series.
England was bundled out for 246 after Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat. Stokes himself top-scored with 70 as India spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 3 wickets each to rout England's batting.
In response, Rohit Sharma and Yashashvi Jaiswal added 80 runs in just 12.2 overs with Sharma falling for 24 in 27 balls. AB de Villiers said that more than 'Bazball', it was a good reading of the situation by the openers.
"India batting at 8/9 rpo (runs per over) at the start of their innings here. You don't have to call it brave, bold or bazz ball, it's literally just playing the situation. Identifying moments in a Test match where you can get ahead in the game is what it's all about. When the momentum shifts, u adapt and absorb for a period and wait for that moment again," De Villiers posted on X.
“And ultimately, if you don’t respect the different moments and momentum shifts in the game, it will end up biting u, no matter what kind of ball you’re playing,” he added.
(PTI inputs)
