Ian Chappell wants Joe Root to ditch Bazball and stay his usual self

The legendary Ian Chappell thinks that Joe Root, who has not been amongst the runs in the ongoing five-match Test series between India and England, should do away with the Bazball ploy to get back to his best.

Root has only managed to score 77 runs in six innings at a puny average of 12.83. The fact that he has got out playing some unorthodox and premeditated strokes has garnered him a lot of criticism. Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell said that Root used to score his runs quickly even before the Bazball era and he couldn't fathom why the star batter decided to change his game.

"Root had a bloody fine record playing normally, and he was a quick scorer playing normally. I don't see why he's trying to change things drastically, and I've never believed you should play premeditated shots," Chappell said while speaking to World Wide Sports.

Interestingly, Root has averaged over 50 since Brendon McCullum took over as England's head coach in red-ball cricket in mid-2022. His overall average is 49.33. The former England captain has played some memorable knocks during McCullum's tenure but the India tour hasn't gone his way so far. However, a player of his stature can turn things around at any moment. England are 1-2 down, with two more games to play. English fans will hope that their premier batter regains his mojo and inspires the team to fight back against Rohit Sharma's troops.

"It's got to be according to the conditions and also who's bowling" - Ian Chappell on playing aggressive cricket

England have a fine record playing their aggressive brand of cricket under head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, having won 14 out of 21 Tests. However, there have been a few batting collapses like the one they encountered in the second innings of the third Test in Rajkot where they were dismissed for a paltry 122. This has led to people criticising the high-risk-high-reward philosophy.

Chappell suggested that players should adopt an aggressive style of play based on the playing conditions and the bowler in operation.

"You can't always do it – it's got to be according to the conditions and also who's bowling. Some bowlers, you can score off a lot quicker than others, but when a really good bowler is bowling a good spell, you've got to be prepared to try and battle it out and think to yourself, 'Well, when he goes off, it'll get a bit easier'. You're always trying to score runs – that's got to be your prime aim. But, you've also got to realize some conditions, against some bowlers, you can score quicker than others," he added.

Also Read: "Jaiswal hasn’t learned from you, he has learned from his upbringing" - Nasser Hussain hits back at Ben Duckett