NEW DELHI: England's cricket coach Brendon McCullum has openly admitted that the team's much-touted 'Bazball' approach requires significant adjustments following their 4-1 Test series defeat against India.
In a candid assessment, McCullum conceded to the travelling British media, "Sometimes, you can get away with things. But when you're exposed the way we have been in the back end of this series in particular, it does require some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment to make sure we're staying true to what we believe in."
Highlighting the pressure exerted by the Indian team, McCullum noted, "If anything, we got more timid as the series went on, and that was because of the pressure that was applied to us by the Indian lineup."
The series saw promising performances from Indian youngsters in the absence of key players like Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, and Sarfaraz Khan made significant contributions, complicating matters for the visitors.
This series loss marked the first setback for England in the 'Bazball' era, sparking debates about the team's one-dimensional approach.
McCullum acknowledged, "There are some things where you can get a little bit of luck on your side and you paper over a couple of the cracks. When you are exposed in the way we have been here, you know that you have to get better in some areas."
Reflecting on England's missed opportunities and lapses in judgment, McCullum suggested, "Whether that affected our approach a little bit and put some doubt in our minds that wasn't there early in the series, I'm not really sure why at this point in time."
1/10:India's series win against England: Numbers and milestones
IANS
2/10:Team India
<p>This the third time that India have won four Tests in a series — the previous two instances being in the four-Test series vs Australia in 2023 and vs England in 2016. </p>IANS
3/10:Test cricket history
<p>In the history of Test cricket, India have won as many Tests as defeats for the first time — 178, drawn 222 Tests and tied one out of 579. </p>
4/10:Ravichandran Ashwin
<p>With 5/77, Ravichandran Ashwin produced his 36th five-wicket haul, setting an Indian record, overtaking Anil Kumble's tally of 35. </p>ANI
5/10:Match figures
<p>9/128 are the match figures recorded by Ashwin — the best by a bowler in his 100th Test. </p>IANS
6/10:Five-wicket hauls
<p>Ashwin is the first ever player to produce a five-wicket haul on Test debut (6/47 vs West Indies in 2011) and in his 100th Test (5/77 vs England in 2024). </p>ANI
7/10:Shoaib Bashir
<p>Shoaib Bashir became the first England bowler to produce two five-wicket hauls in Tests before turning 21 — 5/119 at Ranchi and 5/173 at Dharamshala. </p>IANS
8/10:James Anderson
<p>James Anderson became the first pacer to take 700 Test wickets and he has also sent down the most number of balls by a pacer in Tests - 39877. </p>AFP
9/10:Duck victims
<p>James Anderson has claimed the most number of duck victims by a bowler in Tests - 115 - a record unlikely to be surpassed. </p>PTI
10/10:Wickets' tally
<p>James Anderson's wickets' tally of 987 across formats in 400 matches is a record by a pacer. </p>ReutersLooking ahead, McCullum stressed the importance of refining England's approach to ensure they are better prepared for future challenges.
"The next couple of months will be us working out that and making sure when we come to the summer we are a more refined version of what we are at the minute," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
