I have personally known Dr Manjunath for well over 7 years now; he was among the most enthusiastic supporters for Cricket Unplugged- A Podcast On Cricket! Infact he has come on the Pod as guest for 3 solid episodes and has helped in growing the podcasts reach by helping it reach his large audience base on Social Media!!
Knowing how passionate he is about Test Cricket and how much we both feel its the best format despite threat for T20s and the various leagues that have come across the globe nowadays, I decided to present our thoughts specifically dedicated to our thoughts on Test Cricket through this conversation between me & Manju Bhai!
In this first conversation between us to be published in this platform, we discuss a phenomenon that has caught the attention of Cricket viewers across the globe and which is here to stay; BazzBall!
Raghav: Before I get your detailed thoughts on Bazzball, wanted your opinion on two recent developments in Test Cricket; Virat Kohlis retirement from his most preferred version of the game and South Africa’s fine performance to win the ICC WTC, breaking their never ending jinx to win ICC trophies.
Dr Manjunath: BazBall is more of a media phenomenon . We have Yashaswi Jaiswal who plays his own attacking brand of Test batsmanship and at Espncricinfo.com ; some elegant writers have even labelled it as JaisBall . The media has definitely gone overboard in its celebration of BazBall . It seems to use it as a calling card and a go to phenomenon for its headlines and of course, its good for the business of sport.
Virat’s retirement was around the corner. He failed to find that second wind which Root had found and he was there and thereabouts but struggling to live up the already high standards that he had set for himself .
The century at Perth in the recently concluded Border Gavaskar trophy had shown some signs of him being more of an accumulator and not scoring as freely as he once was . The mode of dismissals became repetitive and that trap was set for him and the word gets around quickly in this digital era .
Though I admired him a lot and he was one of my favourites from the golden 2010s along with the chalk and cheese Vijay-Pujara duo , Rahane ; probably the end was nearing and fair play to Virat he knew of it and made his retirement decision . Having a former politician as a coach wouldn’t have helped his cause . But we would have to wait for the other side of the story to emerge to draw our conclusions . So his and Rohit’s retirement and the events around it are somewhat like a sealed envelope in the Supreme Court – hopefully they can talk or write about it at length some day .
Bavuma -an inspired leader
Not many people gave them a chance in the WTC final ; but they out thought , out strategized and outwitted Australia to win the game . It was a tremendous bowling display and later some nerve less chasing by South Africans in the game .
The quartet of Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood and Cummins might not be there around for many years . As I type this, Starc and Boland have bundled out the West Indies for 27 runs in the pink ball Test . It’s a formidable bowling line up for Australia but age is catching up and their powers are on the wane. Who knows if Boland was there in the WTC final; but he will get more opportunities now in the future and we might say this famed quartet might break up for tactical reasons .
Lyon is going nowhere and he is going to be there till the end of this cycle . Unsung heroes are aplenty for South Africa specially Aiden Markram who batted out of his skin in the WTC final and showed zen levels of calm and confidence . Happy that off field issues are behind Rabada and he is also back to his best .
Raghav: In 2022 when it was announced that Engaland would rejig their leadership by bringing in ‘Baz’ Brendon Mcclum to coach them with maverick allrounder Ben Stokes as their captain what were your initial thoughts?
Dr Manjunath: Initially, I was skeptical about their combination . But in the New Zealand series they brought in a refreshing( but its now dated )approach . It was an air of positivity and batsmen always looking for runs . They might not have aimed to do so but the arrival of Crawley, Duckett and Brook gave them foot soldiers to execute their devious and dastardly plans on the field .
Even Joe Root was sucked in and he was dismissed quite a few times playing those ugly reverse ramp shots . But mostly, it was effective as opposition sides were stunned with its shock value and uninitiated sides were pummeled into submission . In India , it gave Ollie Pope a legendary innings and a win to remember at Hyderabad.
But later, the strategy collapsed against the accurate Indian spinners and the time being consumed by the talented Indian lower middle order Axar, Ashwin and Jadeja . Our lower order literally saved us for 2 or 3 such series in the presence of our failing and flickering greats .
Raghav: Looking at the past three years under ‘Bazball’ regime, is it fair to say that England have through their playing methodology which is ‘play to entertain’ or never settle for a draw, increased interest levels for the longest form of the game?
Dr Manjunath: So much so; that they have forgotten how to draw a game . Techniques have changed and English batsmen are playing ugly swipes but they do play their percentages and execute well . But it can backfire like how Harry Brook lost his wicket to Akash Deep in the 2nd innings as Lords’ .
High risk and high reward but sustainability is a question . But today; they are 2-1 up in this series thanks to some conventional test batsmanship from Joe Root . The strike rates tell a different story . Bairstow is the only real BazBaller going around town ; and he is sitting out of this series.
In all likelihood, his technique deteriorated thanks to BazBall ‘s demands and he was worked out by Indian bowlers . BazBall is definitely a good strategy but you should know when to shelve it like how England played in the Lord’s Test . Never know what the future holds for BazBall per se ; but Rishabh Pant has brought out his own version of it .
Exciting times lie ahead . The interest for the longest form of the game will not wane this fast ; but it will definitely do as West Indies and Sri Lanka don’t play adequate Test matches . Scheduling of Tests with the T20 Franchise series is the real challenge that confronts test cricket .
The slew of international retirements in the early 30s in the worrying phenomenon that needs to be addressed soon by the cricket boards who aren’t in great financial health. So if BazBall brings in the crowds then it is always welcome . There is a small window of an Indian victory whenever there is BazBall .
Raghav: Your personal take on some of the selections under this regime; going against the grain( For eg: Josh Hull, or a classic case being making Shoaib Bashir as the frontline spinner with Jack Leach still around).
Dr Manjunath: Shoaib Bashir is an Asiatic Lyon . Of course , he is British ( came to know about It once he had visa issues on an Indian tour ) . But he is being groomed to become the solitary spinner . Jack Leach has had his days in the sun and his own share of health issues . He has also opened the batting against Ireland in a test match .
I personally would like to see more of Leach – he has the capability to bowl on a 50 paisa coin all day if you want him to . Bashir is nowadays imparting more of overspin to the ball and that will be helpful when the plays the Ashes. Ashwin has retired and Lyon wont be there forever . I haven’t watched much of Hull ; but Bashir can become the flagbearer of over spin and off spin in the coming decade . He has age on his side . I am also hopeful of Rehan Ahmed making a comeback at some point of time . The old bearded brigade of Rashid and Ali have faded into the sunset .
Raghav: Do you feel England have changed how other teams structure their teams? Adding batting depth seems to something every team seems to be emulating after you see England have batting almost upto #11. Would you attribute this to ‘Bazball’ or is it something inevitable in times of excessive white ball cricket, flatter pitches etc?
Dr Manjunath: In this matter , Gambhir Gambhir and Gambhir ( and Gambhir himself) is to blame . This strategy seems to be born in Australia during the Border Gavaskar trophy where Gill sat out to accommodate Reddy and Sundar as we were carrying a few aging legends . It’s a flawed strategy and in short, we are doomed if we keep doing so. Steve Waugh , Ian Chappell have all believed in taking 20 wickets and going with genuine bowlers with 6 batsmen having to do their job . As much as Bumrah and Siraj’s batting would excite us, they wouldn’t be there if not for the shoddy batting by half all rounders .
Raghav: Is persisting with players for a long period of time even when performances havent been great also a hallmark of Bazzball? When I look at the kind of backing Zak Crawley or Ollie Pope get, it baffles me to see how strongly Stokes & Baz seem to hold on to their selected list of players come what may. Your thoughts on this?
Dr Manjunath: The coach and captain seem to believe in them and there maybe good reason to do so depending on what they see in the nets that we cant see through the numbers on the internet.
But it brings along with it a kind of selection rigidity or policy paralysis akin to the pre 1991 License Raj in India . As long as this preference is equal among all players it is not much of a concern . But there is a risk of good Test players missing out thanks to X or Y being suited for BazBall. This Batting Depth Selection Menace is becoming India’s version of template selections .
Raghav: Since the advent of this term, can you share the positives that you have seen in Englands Test Cricket and generally how it has helped the purest form of the game?
Dr Manjunath: All games have yielded a result . In the thirst for a win ; they have forgotten how not to lose a Test ; but it makes the viewing experience very thrilling. I am in favour of anything that can take a Test match into the 5th day and fill the stands with thousands of people .
Raghav: With such a high risk, high reward approach to their game, Englands results don’t seem to surprise me. Barring the recently completed nail biter at Lords, they havent really toned down their playing style too much. Does this make sense to you? Shouldn’t England curtail their attacking style keeping the pitch & match conditions in mind?
Dr Manjunath: In their DNA (among the new generation of batters such as Brook ) ; an attacking shot has become like a muscle memory . The kind of wickets rolled out in the first two tests also suggested the furthering of this strategy as their template in the future for chasing a target . They actually toned down the attacking instincts quite well when they chased the 370 at Headingley . Probably as they age, they might turn back to old fashioned Test Cricket . I would love Harry Brook to get a 43(297) and save a Test Match.
Raghav: Finally, this series has been a run feast with Lords offering something for the bowlers in the last two days especially, wanted to know your thoughts on how the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy has progressed so far? India have been the more dominant side overall but have ended up being 1-2 down.
Dr Manjunath: India have been ahead several times but their snooze worthy performances in the post tea sessions have let them down and let the advantage slip into England’s grasp . 2-1 doesn’t say much but we have some catching up to do .
Raghav: Your predictions for the series? And a direct question: Should Bumrah play in the 4th Test or else save himself for The Oval Test??
I feel Bumrah should rest and we might need him in the Oval Test to make it 3-2. I feel its time for Kuldeep or Arshdeep to show us their repertoire and Bumrah to get some rest for himself and his back should hold up well for the WTC Cycle that lies ahead . A couple of my colleagues will watch his bowling action really carefully as they (Spine Team) are worried he shouldn’t get another stress fracture . Many greats have been truncated by injuries . Hope for the best .
V Manjunath is a Plastic and Hand surgeon by profession practising at Bengaluru but Cricket and especially Test Cricket is his passion . He can be followed on twitter at: 
https://x.com/vmanjunath?s=21&t=aRj8cE3hyyvouxjK0L14MA
He also runs a fan page on twitter by the name : The Falling Sweep
For Cricket related enquiries he can be reached at this E-mail : sauravganguly131@gmail.com
Courtesy: Written by Raghav Ravichandran (Cricket Analyst)