India’s Test Victory: Gavaskar Proposes “Gohit” Strategy Instead of “Bazball” Moniker

Kanpur, 8th October 2024: India received significant acclaim for their bold batting strategy during the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. Despite losing two and a half days to heavy rain, the team managed to clinch a decisive seven-wicket win on the final day.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan ignited debate with his remarks about India’s batting style, stating, “I see India is playing Bazball.” His comment shared on X (formerly Twitter), alluded to the ultra-aggressive approach adopted by England under coach Brendon McCullum, known as “Bazball.”

Indian cricket icon Sunil Gavaskar took a subtle jab at certain unnamed former experts, implying they were eager to take credit for India’s current batting approach. “Unfortunately, while the batting was exhilarating and refreshing, the terminology used to describe it felt recycled. Just as every scandal is now referred to with a ‘gate’ suffix after the Watergate incident over 50 years ago, this Indian batting style is being tagged as ‘this-ball’ and ‘that-ball’ following the coinage of ‘Bazball’ for the England team’s strategy. This term stems from ‘Baz,’ the nickname of their coach, Brendon McCullum, who played in a similarly audacious manner, focusing on aggressive scoring,” Gavaskar noted.

He commended Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his pivotal role in reshaping the team’s playing style. “While one publication dubbed the Indian batting ‘Bossball’ in honour of Rohit, the team’s leader, some traditionalists referred to it as ‘Gamball,’ attributing it to Indian coach Gautam Gambhir. However, unlike the complete transformation seen in England’s batting under Ben Stokes and McCullum, Rohit has been advocating this style for the past couple of years,” he explained.

“Gambhir has only recently taken up coaching, so attributing this aggressive approach to him is pure flattery. In truth, he rarely batted in this manner, unlike McCullum. The credit belongs entirely to Rohit,” he asserted.

Gavaskar suggested that instead of using terms like ‘this-ball’ or ‘that-ball,’ it would be more fitting to name the approach after the captain and call it the “Gohit” strategy. He expressed hope that more creative minds would find a more original term rather than lazily calling it “Bazball.”