'They may get blown away, they may get absolutely destroyed' - Michael Vaughan expresses concern over Bazball's effectivity in India

Michael Vaughan isn't confident of England's 'Bazball' ploy surviving on spin-friendly pitches against the troika of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Ben Stokes' men are set to tour India to play a five-match Test series, with the first game beginning on January 25, 2024, in Hyderabad.

Since Brendon McCullum took over as England's red-ball coach and joined forces with captain Stokes, the European giants have produced some stunning results. They have won 13 out of their previous 18 Tests and are unbeaten in their last six games.

However, Michael Vaughan was concerned over Bazball's effectivity in India as he noted that the English team struggled against a quality spinner like Nathan Lyon, during the Ashes, on conditions that were not very conducive to spin-bowling. Lyon played the first two Tests, which Australia won, before being ruled out of the remainder of the series with a leg injury. England went on to win two out of the remaining three games to square the series. The former England captain warned that Stokes and Co. could come a cropper with their ultra-aggressive approach against quality Indian spinners on turning tracks.

"If you add in Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel on spinning wickets in India, they may get blown away, they may get absolutely destroyed. They will go out and play exactly the same way, we’ve already spoken about the impact they are going to try and achieve in India with the way they play," said Vaughan while speaking to Fox Sports.

"It will be great watching, but you will have to fancy three quality spinners might do a job on England when one quality spinner in Nathan Lyon did the job in English conditions. It’s going to be very tough for them to win in India."

Not one Australian that can look me in the eye and say they didn’t admire the way England played in the Ashes: Michael Vaughan

Vaughan might be a little worried about Bazball's chances of coming good in India but he also applauded the impact it has had on the purest format of the game. He praised England for the cricket they played during the Ashes and said with conviction that even the Aussies admired their all-or-nothing approach.

"I’m a huge admirer of Bazball, I think it’s been a revelation in the last 18 months and there’s not one Australian that can look me in the eye and say they didn’t admire the way England played in the Ashes. All right they didn’t win the Ashes but the way England went about their cricket was fantastic, everyone loved watching them play, it’s risky, at times it is bonkers. There are times where it is absolutely crackers but it’s great to watch and I’ve not met one Australian, they have enjoyed watching them play," Vaughan concluded.