Panesar On Counter To England's 'Smarter' Bazball: 'What India Must Do Is...'

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Monty Panesar advises India to use the new ball ruthlessly and apply early pressure on English batters to win the second Test at Edgbaston.
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar has advised India to use the new ball ruthlessly and apply early pressure on the English batters to win the second Test at Edgbaston, which begins on Wednesday.
Despite scoring a total of 835 runs across their two innings, India's bowling attack, except for Jasprit Bumrah, who claimed Zak Crawley's wicket in the first over of England's first innings, failed to dominate the English batters. This allowed the English team to navigate tricky situations and then attack as the ball aged, a strategy Panesar referred to as 'Smarter Bazball'.
'What we have seen with England, they play the first 10 overs very slowly because the ball moves around; it swings, and when the ball doesn't do as much, they will start accelerating the scoring. So what they're doing is they're playing smarter 'Bazball' cricket," Panesar was quoted as saying to IANS.
'What India must do is, with the new ball, they need to take wickets. That's what they've got to do and if they don't do that, I think they're going to always play catch up. They need, like they did in Australia, they were taking wickets with the new ball. Same thing they have to do here. The way to win Test matches is that India must take wickets with the new ball," he added.
How Can Gill Lead India's Comeback?
Shubman Gill's start as Test captain was not ideal, as India began their 2025-27 World Test Championship Cycle with a loss.
Panesar believes that although Gill is inexperienced, he should focus on building the best bowling attack. He thinks Prasidh Krishna needs to adapt to English conditions, and Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion as an attacking spinner could be beneficial, allowing Ravindra Jadeja to take more wickets.
'He's still inexperienced as a captain. I think Prasidh Krishna bowls the Australian length. He doesn't bowl the UK length, which is slightly fuller, top of off stump. That's why I think if he does play, he needs to bowl the ball fuller. He needs to take wickets in his first spell. He can't be taking wickets, you know, later on.
' Kuldeep Yadav is going to be the attacking spinner if he plays, and Shubhman Gill, you should use him in an attacking role. I think Jadeja will definitely play because of his batting; he could be the defensive spinner. Jadeja being the defensive spinner, I think that will help him to take wickets.
'So, if Kuldeep Yadav plays, Gill must use him as the attacking spinner, have attacking field sets. Have a field set that looks to take wickets. Kuldeep Yadav's job is to take wickets," he added.
First Published:
July 01, 2025, 16:55 IST