David Lloyd reveals which team apart from England can emulate ‘Bazball’ in Test cricket

England’s brilliant win over Pakistan in Rawalpindi is another example of how Test cricket should and needs to be played. On an absolutely flat pitch, Ben Stokes’s team go on to win the match by 74 runs. Pakistan was bowled out at 268 during the chase. Ollie Robinson and James Anderson grabbed a four-wicket haul each to lead England to their most famous away win.

The victory once again highlighted England’s ultra-aggressive approach, famously known as ‘Bazball’. This term was born when Brendon McCullum took over as coach. He has produced stunning results in Tests.

This approach has captivated the imagination of cricket fans worldwide. The former English cricketer has compared this side to the Australia and West Indies in their prime. He also said that India is the only team who plays similar cricket like England. 

“It is not totally new, of course. The Australian team of the 90s was very positive and the great West Indian sides were full of exhilarating stroke-makers. I reckon a team capable of this style now is India. They have all the tools. There has been a suspicion that Indian batters are stats-driven but Virat Kohli is one who could drive this,” the former cricketer-turned-commentator wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.

Virat Kohli stepped down from the captaincy in January of this year. He was India’s most successful captain as he had Test wins under his name from 2014 to 2022. Under his leadership, India dominated on overseas soil, like winning its first Test series in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2018-19, and led the team very well in England last year, leading the series 2-1 before the series concluded 2-2 in June this year.

After England’s victory, Michael Vaughn tweeted as well: “I don’t know of any Captain in the history of Test cricket that would have got his team to Bat like his team did and then declare when he did… unbelievable.” 

It was not received well by Indian cricket fans, who reminded the former England captain of some of the courageous declaration calls taken by Kohli when he was in charge