Visitors show the best way to beat Bazball is to outlast it
India’s triumph wasn’t born out of mimicking England’s hyper-aggressive approach. Instead, they turned the mirror on Bazball and exposed it
Birmingham, July 8: Can Bazball be conquered? India answered with an emphatic yes at Edgbaston, where they delivered a masterclass not in aggression, but in resilience. In a year of sporting upheavals and fresh narratives, India rewrote their own at a ground where victory had always eluded them. For a team caught in a whirlwind of change, this wasn’t just a win—it was a statement.
India’s triumph wasn’t born out of mimicking England’s hyper-aggressive approach. Instead, they turned the mirror on Bazball and exposed its one fatal flaw: a refusal to endure. They outscored it. They outlasted it. Most crucially, they out-thought it.
At the toss, India’s stand-in skipper Shubman Gill described 2025 as “a year of chaos.” The remark felt cryptic, even offhand. But peel back the layers and you find a cricket team grappling with more than just a tough opponent.
This is an Indian side in transition. With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin having retired in rapid succession, and Jasprit Bumrah managing injuries and captaincy fatigue, India were in search of new leadership and direction. Gill, anointed as the next big thing, was entrusted with the reins despite no century outside Asia in Tests. The critics were skeptical. The fans, unsure.
The numbers didn’t flatter India either. Just one win in their previous nine Tests. Selections at Edgbaston reflected this uncertainty—three changes after a single defeat against England at Headingley.
Sai Sudharsan, the promising youngster, was dropped. Bumrah, though fit, was rested per a pre-series plan. Kuldeep Yadav was overlooked again. And Shardul Thakur made way for Nitish Kumar Reddy. It looked like a patchwork XI stitched together more in hope than conviction.
But somewhere within that chaos lay clarity.
India realised that in order to beat England, they didn’t have to play like England. They had to play smarter. And that began with runs. Lots of them.
After winning the toss, Ben Stokes chose to chase—a formula he’s grown fond of, doing so for the tenth time in 11 home Tests. The pattern had worked well for England since 2022, with six successful chases over 250. But India were determined to disrupt that rhythm.
It didn’t start smoothly. At 211 for 5, the innings hung in the balance. But then came a counter-punch that knocked England back. Gill rose to the occasion with a monumental 269, his best Test innings yet. Ravindra Jadeja’s composed 89 and Washington Sundar’s gritty 42 added steel. India’s total swelled to a colossal 587.
The bowlers, often accused of lacking sting in away conditions, delivered their most disciplined effort yet. Mohammed Siraj, standing tall in Bumrah’s absence, bowled fuller and straighter, drawing 26 false shots in 19.3 overs. His figures—6 for 70—were a testament to precision and patience. Akash Deep, returning to the fold, backed him up with control and menace. Between them, they took all ten wickets as England folded for 407.
Even as Harry Brook and Jamie Smith briefly threatened, India resisted panic. They waited. Let the old ball soften. Let the pitch do its tricks. Then struck with the second new ball. A 180-run lead was secured—advantage India.
Their second innings was crafted with a single goal: bat England out of the game. And they did. Gill struck a silken 161, Jadeja and Pant chipped in with fifties, and the declaration came only after a 600-plus lead was secured. The timing drew some criticism, especially with rain forecast.
Brook even reminded Gill of the weather mid-match. “Bad luck to us,” Gill smiled. India were playing a psychological game now, daring England to go after an Everest.
The final day exposed the cracks in Bazball. England, chasing 608, didn’t show the nerve to defend. They didn’t show the patience to draw. They didn’t even attempt to wear India down. Instead, they fell in a heap—bowled out for 227 in just 68.1 overs. In total, they batted fewer than 160 overs across both innings, while India faced 234.
Akash Deep emerged as the unlikely hero, finishing with a ten-wicket haul—the first Indian pacer to do so in a Test since Umesh Yadav in 2018.
His dismissal of Brook, seaming the ball in off the pitch and trapping him lbw, earned high praise even from Stokes.
England had their moments—a six from No.11 Shoaib Bashir raised a chuckle—but this wasn’t their day.
It wasn’t even their match. It was India’s. And it was India’s because they didn’t chase quick glory. They played the long game.
Bazball, for all its fireworks, has never been about survival. It’s about momentum, risk, and bravado. India flipped that script. They relied on scoreboard pressure, time, and discipline. They laid a trap and let England walk into it.
This win mattered for many reasons. It broke India’s Edgbaston hoodoo. It restored faith in a young captain. It silenced questions about team selection. But above all, it showed that the way to beat England’s daredevil cricket isn’t to match it—it’s to withstand it.
The Bazball machine thrives on chaos. But at Edgbaston, India brought order. And in doing so, they handed England something far more potent than a defeat—doubt. (Agencies)