In a light-hearted exchange ahead of the concluding Test match, India's skipper Rohit Sharma humorously addressed England's Ben Duckett's remarks regarding the aggressive batting style adopted by India's opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, attributing it to the influence of Bazball. Sharma playfully suggested that Duckett might have overlooked the dynamic batting approach of Rishabh Pant in Test cricket, implying that Pant's style predates the concept popularized by England's current approach.
The conversation stemmed from Duckett's observations during the third Test at Rajkot, where Jaiswal notched up his second double century of the series, adopting a notably aggressive stance at the crease. Duckett had credited the Bazball strategy for inspiring such a bold method of play, even suggesting that England's innovative approach might have indirectly encouraged players from other teams to adopt a similar aggressive mindset in Test cricket.
Duckett commented, "When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they’re playing differently than how other people play Test cricket." He further noted the emergence of this assertive style, expressing excitement at witnessing other teams and players embracing this aggressive mode of play.
However, Rohit Sharma, during a press conference on Wednesday, 6 March, ahead of the fifth and final Test, responded to Duckett's assertions with a humorous retort. By invoking the example of Rishabh Pant, a player known for his bold and attacking batting style, Sharma highlighted that the concept of aggressive play was not unfamiliar to the Indian team. "There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Ben Duckett hasn’t seen him play," Sharma quipped, eliciting laughter from the journalists present.
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