India game for 'Bazball' if situation demands

Even as cries for a more attacking approach to Test cricket grow, the Indian team, if KL Rahul is to be believed, is not in the mood to adopt English daredevilry yet. Instead, Rahul insists, they will continue to play ‘good cricket’.

Over the last year or so, no team has managed to turn heads as England has with what everyone has come to refer to as ‘Bazball’. There’s more than a touch of devil-may-care to them in Tests, and many believe India should be as brazen.

“If the situation demands us to play a few shots, then that is what we’ll have to do, and if the situation demands us to play regular Test cricket or a regular style of cricket, you just play on the merit of the ball, that’s what you’ll try to do and that’s what every batter tries to do, it’s as simple as that,” said the Indian vice-captain on Tuesday.

“Especially for an opening batter, if the team demands you to play a certain way and get the team off to a certain start, you try and do that. Same with the middle-order batters, so just adjust and adapt according to the situation mainly.”

Rahul stretched this narrative to explain the combination conundrum India are faced with ahead of the opening Test in Nagpur. With a few slots opening up due to injuries and, of course, conditions, Rohit Sharma’s men have the pleasant problem of picking from an elite ensemble.

“All the 15 guys in the side are top quality, and that’s why they’re here. Anyone of them on any given day can be a match winner, and they have proved that and that’s why they have earned their Test cap. That’s why it’s so hard to settle in on a combination this time,” he said.

“The playing XI, we always try and make a decision based on what’s best for the team and for that particular Test match. We have done that over the last two years. There have been questions about why a certain player has played… even in Bangladesh, I remember, Kuldeep (Yadav) got the man of the match and did not play the next Test. Obviously, the only reason, or the only thinking, behind such decisions is which player fits the role for that particular condition.”

As for his own position in the batting order, Rahul maintained that he could move and play at any number should the need arises.

“Whatever little cricket I’ve played for the country, I’ve always done that. Whatever the team has asked me to do, I try and prepare that way and try and do my best for the team, and if that is something that the team wants me to do here, I’ll be more than happy to do it.”

Steven Smith, meanwhile, said he was going to let intuition take over when he bats against spinners rather than focus on the things which he can’t control. The former skipper, who made 660 runs at an average of 60 in four matches on his last visit to India in 2017, has seen a fair bit since, what with the Sandpaper Gate and a subsequent ban.

“You need to be proactive against spinners,” he noted. “You can’t just sit there and think you won’t have your number on it. The pitch and these conditions are hard but we’re prepared, I think.”