Former England captain Michael Vaughan has suggested that India borrowed the “Bazball” style of aggressive batting, popularized by England in recent years, during their second Test against Bangladesh in 2024. England’s Test side, under the leadership of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, has embraced an all-out attacking approach, which has brought them significant success.
During the rain-affected second Test between India and Bangladesh, where only 35 overs were bowled across the first three days, India adopted a highly aggressive strategy on Day 4. They managed to score 285/9 declared in just under 35 overs, taking charge of the match.
Vaughan quickly pointed out the similarities between India’s approach and England’s Bazball, sparking backlash from Indian fans on social media.
Vaughan Comments on “Gamball”
Speaking on the “Club Prairie Fire” podcast with former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, Vaughan elaborated on his views two days later. Referring to the term “Gamball,” coined in reference to India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir, Vaughan said:
“Gamball looks very similar to Bazball to me. I noticed it during Day 4 of the India-Bangladesh Test. It was exciting to watch, so I tweeted ‘I see England are playing Bazball.’ That tweet got 1.2 million views and 2,000 responses. Can we check if there are any legalities involved? Should England charge them for this?”
Vaughan continued:
“This Test match was remarkable. India batted brilliantly, and it’s fantastic to see Indian cricket adopting this Bazball approach. They scored 285 in 34.4 overs, clearly copying England’s style. It’s incredible to think that India has embraced this aggressive method, and it’s great to watch.”
India’s batting performance was historic as they became the fastest team to reach 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 runs in Test history. Their run rate of 7.36 across both innings set a new record for the highest in a Test match.
India sealed the series 2-0 with a dominant chase of 95 runs in just 17.2 overs, finishing with seven wickets in hand.
Rohit Sharma Reflects on India’s Aggressive Approach
After the match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma shared that the team was willing to take risks to keep the game moving forward and push for a result, even if it meant being bowled out cheaply.
On Day 4, Bangladesh resumed their first innings at 107/3 but were bowled out quickly. India then seized control with both bat and ball, finishing the day with Bangladesh at 26/2 in their second innings.
In the post-match presentation, Rohit said:
“We had to think a lot about how to keep the game progressing. On Day 4, we aimed to bowl Bangladesh out as quickly as possible and then see what we could do with the bat. It wasn’t about how many runs we made but the number of overs we had to bowl at them. The batters were ready to take risks, and we gave ourselves a chance to force a result.”
India’s victory marked their 18th consecutive Test series win at home, a streak that has lasted over a decade since their last home defeat to England in 2012.