New Delhi, India

Former Indian captain Kapil Dev recently revealed that he is a big fan of Bazball, an attacking style of play which England have adopted in Tests since early 2022. The term Bazball came since Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach of Ben Stokes-led England's Test line-up, where players play more attacking at all times. Impressed with England's new brand of cricket, Kapil has urged Rohit Sharma-led India to also play more aggressively to get desired results in the purest format.

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It is to be noted that India kicked off their campaign in the 2023-25 WTC cycle with a two-match Test series versus hosts West Indies, winning 1-0. They were in a dominant position in the second and final Test, in Trinidad, at stumps on Day Four. The visitors needed eight more wickets as West Indies were 76 for 2 in chase of 365 but rain washed out the entire final day. Thus, Rohit & Co. missed out on a likely series whitewash and adding more points in their kitty in the WTC cycle.

Kapil believes India should take a leaf out of England's Bazball as he hailed the recently-held Ashes 2023, which ended in a 2-2 stalemate in the United Kingdom.

'Ashes 2023 was one of the finest series'

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"Bazball is wonderful. The series between England and Australia was one of the finest series I have seen in recent times. I think cricket should be played like that. Rohit is good. But he must be more aggressive," Kapil told The Times of India.

"You have to think about how teams like England play now. And it's not just us. All cricket-playing countries have to think on those lines. Winning the game should be the highest priority (not play for draws) for all teams," he added.

Also read: Wanted Virat Kohli to bat at No. 4 during CWC '19, reveals former India coach Ravi Shastri

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Talking about the Ashes, England conceded a 2-0 lead to Pat Cummins-led Australia after losing the opening two games by a whisker. Nonetheless, they did not deter from their aggressive approach as Bazball continued to inspire in the remainder of the series. As a result, the home side won the third Test by three wickets and were very close to a win in the following game before rain had the final say.

In the series decider, Stokes & Co. won by 49 runs to prevent a series loss at home. However, Australia walked away by retaining the urn. The series was a memorable affair which displayed England's free-flowing approach -- termed as Bazball since McCullum took over -- to the fore.

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