Bazball will face its real test in India: Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook, the owner of a whopping 12,472 Test runs at a strike rate of 46.95 runs per 100 balls, was the epitome of old-school batsmanship. The ultimate purist who would grind down attacks rather than blast them away.

Cook ended his 161-Test career only five years ago but it seems eons ago for, England are playing a brand of cricket that their former skipper may not have envisaged even in his wildest dreams. Cook, though, is enjoying this version of England.

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"I mean he (Zak Crawley, who struck 182-ball 189 in the fourth Test) plays shots that I could only dream of and it was an extraordinary innings," Cook says, underscoring the gulf between his game and the current opener.

So would he have fit into England's current scheme of things?

"At the moment there is a clear indication that if you want to play Test cricket for England, you have to have the ability to take on the opposition," began Cook. "That's quite clear from the people...They want players who can have a positive impact on the game with that bat. So if you are a young player at the moment in County cricket and want to get picked for England, there is a certain way (to bat), you must have a certain ability because that's what (skipper) Ben Stokes wants. I think it's great leadership in the sense that he is very clear about how you want to play... If I was younger, and I had to play in this England side, I might have had to adapt my game and change my game."

Though England have once again failed to regain the Ashes, they have been highly successful under captain-coach combination of Stokes-Brendon McCullum winning 12 of the last 17 Tests as opposed to just one in 17 when Joe Root was at the helm. The numbers clearly justify England's means to achieve the results they are aiming for.

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While Cook is confident the attacking brand of cricket will succeed on the Australian surfaces, which will have nice bounce and carry for the batters to play their shots, he admits Bazball would face its real test in India where they will encounter turning tracks. England are scheduled to visit India for a five-Test series early next year.

"I mean England are going to play aggressively," he emphasised. "The Australian wickets will suit England, but India will be a big challenge if the wickets are spinning. I think England is going to play aggressively that way. The last time England went to India, they lost 4-0 (3-1) and I certainly lost 4-0 as captain (in 2017). They have nothing to lose. They have a great challenge with (R) Ashwin, (Ravindra) Jadeja and Axar Patel on spinning wickets. Absolutely. But the conventional way of playing hasn’t worked in the past.

“Again, it’s confrontational as they’re good enough to knock great bowlers off their length. They’ve certainly managed to do that to the seamers. Against the spinners, they did it well against Pakistan, though I know the quality is not quite the same (as that of India). Yet, winning 3-0 in Pakistan is a great achievement.

“It’s going to take great skill from the batting line-up to play that way, but one thing’s certain. They won’t die wondering.”

Cook strongly believes that England would persist with Bazball for some years to come irrespective of who the captain is.

"I think what we are seeing now is that this England side over the next 5-7 years is going to play a certain way," he pointed out. "Whether Ben Stokes is captain or not, the next captain from this group of players is going to play this way. You are going to see an attacking England side now. Whatever the condition, they are always going to get on the front foot.

"Harry Brook is an extraordinary talent, and he is an aggressive player by nature. It sits easily on him to play this way. It's different from asking myself or Jonathan Trott to bat this way, we are going to play a slightly different way. That is credit to Stokes and McCullum; they have seen where the strengths of their batters lie. There is more to it than just making attacking shots," he offered.

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