The third session of the present Hyderabad Test, which is in progress, left former South African captain AB de Villiers extremely satisfied with the manner Indian openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal took the game to England.
AB De Villiers clarified how the hosts saw a chance to exert pressure on England’s inexperienced bowling. Viewing the occasion as more essential than the kind of cricket a side chooses to play, he appears to be making a subtle jab at England’s ‘Bazball’ mentality.
In his post on X, AB de Villiers said the following:
“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 u 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.”
AB de Villiers
In a cheeky move, AB De Villiers also cautioned England about how teams might occasionally lose the plot while remaining unaware of the circumstances and forfeit an edge in the sake of playing their style of cricket. He continued, saying:
“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????”
AB de Villiers
On the first day, England’s Bazball strategy was put to the test as they required a comeback from Ben Stokes (70 off 88 balls) to reach 246. Despite getting starts, players like Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow failed to score a significant amount of runs.
India dominate England with bat and ball on day 1
At Stumps on Day 1, India had established a dominating lead thanks to an opening partnership of 80 runs between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma. The score is 119/1, but the hosts still have Jaiswal (76) and Shubman Gill (14) at the wicket despite losing Rohit’s wicket.
Jaiswal took the rookie Tom Hartley to task as the left-arm spinner gave up sixty-three runs in his nine overs. Although Jack Leach managed to remove Rohit from the game, England will have a difficult day on Friday.
Should the visitors fail to initiate an early attack and for the hosts to form a few significant partnerships, Ben Stokes and company may find themselves behind the game in no time.