England to stick with bazball approach against India despite head coach Brendon McCullum being aware of 'huge challenge'

Brendon McCullum brought about a revolution in the longer format of the game after taking up the role of England's Test team head coach. An approach called Bazball, in which the batters play aggressive cricket like in the shorter formats of the game, has brought the English team several successes over the past 18 months. However, the inventor believes that 'Bazball' will face its real test when his men take on India in January 2024.

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India are scheduled to host a five-match Test series against England from January 29 - a crucial series of the 2023-25 ​​World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Despite admitting that India are a formidable unit and that a big challenge lies ahead, coach McCullum is confident that Ben Stokes and Co. will stick to their attacking play. 

'Bazball' is not just about the aggressive play on the field but also about the bold decisions taken by the team off the field. The former New Zealand captain said it would be "fabulous" if his team enjoyed success in India, but if they didn't, he said the boys would be happy that they played the way they wanted to.

“We have got a huge challenge against a very good Indian team in five tests in India. I am excited about it because you want to test yourself against the best side and I genuinely believe that India is the best in their own condition. It is going to be a good challenge for us. If we have success then fabulous, if we don’t then I know we will go down in the style that we want to go down," said McCullum. 

"We are very lucky that we have had some immediate success but I don't think it is the ceiling for us. I think we have seen some guys who have unlocked their potential in the last 18 months or so and that's what the job is as a leader; to get the most out of the people that you're in charge of," he added. 

Since Stokes and McCullum took over the reins of the England Test team, they have 13 wins and a draw in 19 matches. The Three Lions won their last series (2-1) in India in 2012-13. Since then, they have lost two Test series in India in 2016-17 (0-4) and 2020-21 (1-3). The upcoming series will be crucial for the captain and coach to shut down the critics of 'Bazball'.