Okay, let’s start with an apology. An apology to England, their captain Ben Stokes, their head coach ‘Baz’ McCullum and their much-talked-about approach, Bazball. Bazball won’t work in Pakistan, they said. Bazball won’t work against Australia in the Ashes, they said.  Bazball has no chance against India in India, they said.  Stokes’s all-conquering England side have proved naysayers wrong, and have done so in some style with the flair and fearlessness that McCullum was known for in his playing days.

Questions have to be asked of India, especially captain Rohit Sharma. Geoffrey Boycott and Michael Vaughan have launched into his captaincy as a lack of proactive approach in Hyderabad cost India. Rohit was happy to sit back and wait for things to happen, while Ben Stokes made things happen on the field.

Was Rahul Dravid not overseeing things when Ollie Pope was reverse-sweeping the Indian spinners? Why did experienced R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja fail in the second innings? Were they spooked by England’s approach?

Is this England’s best chance to push for a Test series win in India? Do you think Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma are capable enough to challenge the intimidating approach from England?

In the latest episode of the Sledging Room Podcast, Akshay Ramesh, Saurabh Kumar and Kingshuk Kusari discuss the Hyderabad heist and the Gabba thriller.

Tune In!

Produced by Anna Priyadarshini

Sound Mix by Sachin Dwivedi