England’s Bazball from ‘another planet’ comes back to ‘earth’ in India

‘Bazball’, conceived under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, faced its first defeat in a Test series, that came on the back of a 2-2 drawn Ashes in England last year.

England’s Bazball comes to a grinding halt in India with a humbling series defeat. | Photo Credit: SATISH ACHARYA

England’s revolutionary methods in cricket’s oldest and purest format met a reality check in India as the host humbled the visitor with a scoreline of 4-1 in a five-match Test series, that concluded with India’s thumping win by an innings and 64 runs in Dharamsala on Saturday.

‘Bazball’, conceived under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, faced its first defeat in a Test series, that came on the back of a 2-2 drawn Ashes in England last year.

While England clinched the first game in Hyderabad by 28 runs to shock India, Rohit Sharma’s men bounced back to win all the following four games with reasonable ease and maintained the side’s dominance at home - which stretches to 17 series wins on the trot.

The last time India lost a home Test series was back in 2012, against Alastair Cook’s England.