India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, lightheartedly jabbed at England opener Ben Duckett over his amusing remarks regarding India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and the influence of “Bazball” on his aggressive batting in the Test series.
Addressing Duckett’s comments in a pre-match press conference before the final Test, Sharma humorously suggested that Duckett might have missed witnessing Rishabh Pant’s aggressive batting in Test cricket.
During the third Test in Rajkot, where Jaiswal showcased his aggressive batting with a second double hundred, Duckett had credited Bazball for the young player’s style of play, implying that England deserved some acknowledgment for influencing the change in approach.
Sharma, responding to Duckett’s comments, cleverly quipped during the press conference before the final Test on March 6, highlighting the presence of Rishabh Pant in the Indian team, which seemed to have escaped Duckett’s notice.
“There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Ben Duckett hasn’t seen him play,” Rohit had the reporters in splits.
Duckett’s remarks faced backlash from the cricketing community, with England pundit Chris Gayle criticizing him and urging him to delve into the history of cricket to understand the roots of attacking play.
When questioned again about Bazball before the final Test, Sharma reiterated his confusion about the term and noted the absence of indiscriminate attacking play from England throughout the series. He acknowledged England’s improved performance but remained puzzled by the notion of Bazball.
