“They Were Aware of the Need to Change, But…”: Anil Kumble Highlights England’s Greatest Shortcoming Following Their Series Defeat to India

Following England’s series defeat to India in their current Test tour, former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble gave the England camp a harsh reality check.

The renowned spinner saw the visiting team’s bowling assault as a weakness in an interview with JioCinema. Anil Kumble discussed in the interview how England understood going into the match that they would need to be different while playing India. But the former cricketer said that England’s bowling was lacking since they were unable to pose any threat to India while they were batting. “They knew they had to be different, but they didn’t think their bowling attack would be able to penetrate the Indian batting,” Kumble said.

“You see, the challenge when England came here was evident,” he said. It won’t be simple traveling to India. Whatever ball you name it, Bazball, etc.But defeating India at home won’t be simple. India has been so dominating throughout the years for this reason.

Kumble has amassed over 619 Test wickets, so he is undoubtedly no stranger to winning Test matches away from home. Therefore, it is not surprising that the former cricket player from India has become unstable in response to England’s Bazball threat. Regarding India’s domestic results, he was rather confident, and his young countrymen have more than lived up to it.

There are more Indian cricketers besides Anil Kumble who have made subtle jabs at England’s style of play in the Test format. The famous batsman Virender Sehwag wrote on X, “Enjoy entertaining, England.” The tedious task of winning may be handled by Australia, New Zealand, and India. Sehwag said in his article that while fans have enjoyed seeing England’s aggressive cricket approach, it hasn’t yet yielded positive outcomes.

The phrase “Bazball,” which derives from the moniker “Baz” given to current England coach Brendon McCullum, is not an official term in cricket. It alludes to an aggressive batting approach that has contributed to England’s modest success in Test matches. Ever since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over in 2022, England had won every Test series they had participated in. This is their first defeat versus India since the McCullum era began.

In the current India vs. England series, the visitors have already defeated the hosts in Hyderabad to take a 1-0 lead. But India managed to put together the ideal comeback, winning their next two Test matches before triumphing in Ranchi in the third. The team captained by Rohit defeated England 3-1 to win the series. Now, on March 7, the two titans of cricket will square off in a final match in Dharamshala.