England team under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum faced their first test series defeat against India in 2024. They invented a new style of playing test cricket which was named ‘Bazball.’ In this article, we will tell you about the journey of this new style and how India broke their streak.
After a shameful exit from the second WTC cycle, England decided to change their approach to test format. They changed their captain and coach which were part of their strategy. England appoint Ben Stokes as their captain and former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. They started playing with a very different style in which they always tried to score runs at a very high run rate. This style of playing was referred to as ‘Bazball.’
This strategy turned out to be very successful for England. They beat Pakistan in their home, and they saved the Ashes with this approach. In total England played 8 series under Stokes and McCullum where they were undefeated before their India tour. In 7 series they won 4 and drew 3. It was almost expected that the real test of this so-called Bazball would be in India as it is very hard to beat India in India.
In their 8th test series in India England under Stokes and McCullum visited India for a 5-match series. England started with a win in Hyderabad but lost three consecutive matches in Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, and Ranchi. India is now 3-1 up in the series and they secured their series win. Stokes and McCullum faced their first test series defeat in India.
