"Gone Too Far": Ravichandran Ashwin Names James Anderson, Joe Root In Damning Review Of Bazball

Ravichandran Ashwin gave a damning verdict on Bazball with special mentions for James Anderson and Joe Root following the 4-1 win in the recently-concluded five-match series.

Veteran Indian cricket team spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gave a damning verdict on Bazball with special mentions for James Anderson and Joe Root following the 4-1 win in the recently-concluded five-match series. Ashwin mentioned Anderson's claims ahead of Day 4 of the second Test match where he said that England will look to chase down the 399-run target within 60 overs. The result is quite different as the visitors were bowled out and defeated comprehensively. Ashwin expressed surprise at the over the top statement and said that although it was a show of positive mindset, the statement "went too far".

“James Anderson went into a press conference in the second Test after winning the first considerably well. Much respect to them for winning that. He told the press that even if the 4th innings target was 500 or 600, we'll finish it in 60 overs. Even though it was an example of their positive mindset, it felt like they had gone too far,” Ashwin said on hisYouTube channel.

Ashwin also believes that Bazball leans more towards being a 'defenseless cricket' and although Joe Root is a great player of spin, his game was also impacted due to the style of cricket.

“The one thing I understood after the first Test is that Bazball isn't just aggressive cricket. It is defenseless cricket. They aren't going to play a defensive shot at all. They are going to get out if they play defense. To my surprise, Joe Root also agreed to their game plan. Because if you take world cricket's vest defense rankings, Root is an easy number 1 on that list against spin. He also bought into their approach,” he said.

On the second day of the Rajkot Test match, Ashwin dismissed England's Zak Crawley to pocket his 500th Test scalp. Before him, only Anil Kumble reached the milestone among Indians. He became the ninth bowler worldwide to take 500 wickets. However, hours after the feat, Ashwin went through a traumatic experience for which he had to leave the squad on an immediate basis.  "Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin," said BCCI in its release. Reports said Ashwin's mother Chitra had suffered a medical emergency.