The former India wicket-keeper interprets the definition of Bazball, delves into the psyche of Brendon McCullum, and foretells the methods India could adopt in the series.
Dinesh Karthik was among the first ones to experience the influence of Brendon McCullum’s aggressive approach to coaching. Karthik was the captain and McCullum the coach when Kolkata Knight Riders scripted a memorable comeback story in the 2021 IPL, before the Kiwi took over as England’s Test team coach.
In his role as a commentator for Sky Sports, as well as having spent the last 10 days with the England Lions team as consultant, he has watched the Bazball evolution from close quarters. In an exclusive chat with The Indian Express, Karthik sheds light on Bazball and what the upcoming 5-match series will offer. Excerpts:
What does Brendon McCullum do differently as a coach?
One of McCullum’s biggest strengths is to make the player fully secure and feel literally bullet-proof and confident of trying to execute his skills. He makes them buy into his gameplan. In that sense McCullum provides you the right surrounding to go there and be the best version of yourself.
Were you surprised by how quickly McCullum put the norms to bed and brought the aggressive approach to Tests?
It did not surprise me too much because working with him at KKR, I realised quickly that he comes in with a positive attitude. He is someone who is always looking at the positives of who is playing and how to get the maximum out of him. I’m not surprised that he has taken that aggressive approach because in many ways, it is a route he took all along as a player and as a coach. No matter where he goes to coach, you will see that side being the most aggressive version of themselves.
Karthik was the captain and McCullum the coach when Kolkata Knight Riders scripted a memorable comeback story in the 2021 IPL, before the Kiwi took over as England’s Test team coach. (File)
Did that strike you straightaway?
Yes. I remember, at KKR we had a lot of problems when it came to bowling at the death. It can be a ground where we could end up giving a lot of runs. If I remember it correctly, we were among the most expensive in giving runs at the death. So he came in and instead of addressing that death-over issue as all teams tend to give runs in that period, he wanted us to go harder with the bat upfront and put a much bigger score so that it gives more cushion to defend. So he always comes up with different approaches to solve problems.
Unlike the Australia series last year, there is not much noise around the pitch in the lead-up to the series. Is it a sign of England taking the pitch out of their minds?
In many ways yes. During the preparations, he has made them aware ‘look, this is going to be hard. It is India and it is going to turn and let us not expect anything different. But we will get there and put as many runs on board in the most aggressive way possible and that will give us the best chance of success. If we are trying to do that and there is a method that is working for us, let us stay true to that.’ That is the message he has put across to the team.
You worked with the England Lions, who too employed a similar aggressive approach against India A. Was there a conscious effort to stick to it at all levels?
Look, the messaging is clear top down. You go to their set up and everyone is trying to play an aggressive, positive brand of cricket and they are trying to plant that method deep into their system… be it County cricket or England Lions. The messaging is clear, it (aggressive) is the sort of players they are looking for and that is the kind of formula that teams should use to get the best result possible.
There are still apprehensions whether Bazball would work in India. Your thoughts?
Actually I feel that the word Bazball isn’t understood well. It doesn’t mean applying pressure. It is actually about trying to be the best version of yourself. It basically means, at times when you have to absorb pressure, be courageous enough to do it and do it your way. That is the messaging that is going around. It is not about scoring runs at 6 or 7 runs an over. It means if you sense that the opponent isn’t there in the game, then go for it but if they are on top and doing a good job, then try and see the best defensive version of yourself using the game you have. Don’t try to surrender trying to do something you are not good at. But be very confident of what you can do in those situations with your game. With the ball it is all about constantly trying ways to get wickets.
England’s Ben Stokes with teammates during a practice session. (Reuters)
In the past they have resorted to slogging on turning tracks. Do you see them doing it this time or will they be clearer with their approach?
I don’t see them doing any blind slogging. Most of their players have toured here and know what to expect. What they will try and do is, be aggressive and put India under pressure. It won’t be blind slogging without a gameplan. They are a lot better than that. It is what happened in the Ashes as well. In the first two Tests they didn’t absorb the pressure well enough and after that they did it much better. At Lord’s for example, when the bouncer plan was there (Ben) Stokes absorbed the pressure and started playing the shots when he could. That is what the Bazball approach is. When you want to play shots, back yourself and be confident about it. When you want to defend, do it with your game.
India are walking into an unknown. Do you think turners will still give them an advantage?
I do think of one method that India will employ. Of course they will look to find turn in the pitch. But they will also look to play on slightly slower pitches which will stop England from playing a lot more audacious shots and make it a bit harder. They will look to play on turning pitches and they have three spinners, who are all all-rounders. So why not? They will try to play on slower pitches because when there is pace on the ball, England will do much better. But when the pitches are slower, I think patience will come into the game a lot more and at times that could help India.
Do you see England threatening India’s home record?
It is not going to be easy for India. Though India have the better team on paper, especially because of the spinners they have. That will keep them in good stead.
With the Bazball approach, there will always be space for bad days. How crucial it is for them to put those behind and compete again?
For any touring team to India that is going to be the biggest challenge. How you are able to understand that on days which don’t go yourway, how to come back and start afresh is the biggest challenge in India. Over here, as the Test match progresses, it is only going to get harder for batting. With the spinners India have, there are bound to be challenges for sure. But that is where they have to buckle down more mentally and come out and play their best game that they have done for the last 18 months. That will be a big challenge to them. There are going to be days when India completely dominates them and come next day, it will be up to England to show how they turn up. Whether the scars of the previous day are still fresh or they have gone past it and they come out fresh and do what they can.
Source:indianexpress.com