‘I’m sure Jonny Bairstow will come good…’ – Brendon McCullum breaks silence on star batter’s struggles in Test series vs India

England head coach Brendon McCullum has backed star batter Jonny Bairstow after he failed to create an impact in the ongoing Test series against India. Notably, the Ben Stokes-led English side was able to win the first Test match, but they failed to register victories in the second and third Test matches, which allowed the hosts to take a 2-1 lead against England.

However, Brendon McCullum feels that the wicketkeeper batter has done so well in the past few games regardless of the conditions. The 42-year-old cricketer says that the English star cricketer just needs backing from the other players, and he should avoid listening to outside noises and criticism as it could impact his performance in the Test series.

“I’m not blind but he’s done so well for us. We know that a top-quality Jonny Bairstow is as good as anyone in any condition, so we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise. He’s had a tough tour so far. And India is a very hard place to continue going on that on the treadmill,” Brendon McCullum said after England lost the Rajkot Test.

I will spend a bit of time with Jonny Bairstow and remind him that he’s such a wonderful player: Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum affirms that they aim to provide him with great opportunities to achieve something good in the next two Test matches. Moreover, the former New Zealand cricketer is hopeful about Jonny Bairstow’s performance in the Test series against India to prove that he is a great cricketer.

“I haven’t even seen the wicket. But I’d anticipate Jonny would be playing, yes. So from our point of view, we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise as well and keep him really present and focused on what he’s trying to achieve, and I’m sure Jonny will come good. (I will) spend a bit of time with Jonny and remind him that he’s such a wonderful player,” he added further.