Everybody’s talking

lsquoItrsquos a good sign that Stokes wants to bowl wersquoll see how it goesrsquoBrendon McCullumBacktoback heavy defeats against India have compelled England captain Ben Stokes to consider an early return to bowling with head coach Brendon McCullum admitting that although itrsquos a good sign they donrsquot want the allrounder to push himself unnecessarilyStokes who is still recovering from a knee surgery hasnrsquot bowled since the second Ashes Test in June last year ldquoWell itrsquos good that hersquos actually getting into a state where he thinks he might bowlrdquo McCullum was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on MondayldquoBut Ben is clever hersquos really clever as well He wonrsquot bowl unless he thinks hersquos legitimately able to bowl The problem would be if he starts getting into a spell and then he canrsquot get out of the spell So wersquoll see what unfolds If he does get that bit between his teeth then letrsquos see where the danger lies there and try and pull him away from it But itrsquos a good signrdquo McCullum addedAhead of the Rajkot Test Stokes had said he ldquopinky promisedrdquo his physiotherapist he wonrsquot be bowling in the ongoing series But when asked if he will be reprising his allrounderrsquos role on Sunday Stokes said ldquoIrsquom not saying yes Irsquom not saying nordquolsquoRoot has a bloody fine record he should just play normallyrsquoIan ChappellFormer Australia captain Ian Chappell has urged outofform England batter Joe Root to shun the Bazball approach and get back to playing his natural gameSenior batter Root has struggled for runs in the ongoing fivematch series against India registering a set of low scores across six inningsKeeping up with Englandrsquos aggressive Bazball approach Root has mostly lost his wicket playing outlandish shots in IndiaAlso ReadYoung guns and gloryldquoRoot had a bloody fine record playing normally and he was a quick scorer playing normallyrdquo Chappell told Wide World of Sports describing Bazball as ldquobullshitrdquoldquoI donrsquot see why hersquos trying to change things drastically and Irsquove never believed you should play premeditated shotsrdquo he addedRoot who has over 11000 Test runs copped a lot of criticism for his dismissal in Englandrsquos first innings in the third Test Chappell argued that while a toporder batter must look to score aggressively the players must adjust according to the match situation ldquoYou canrsquot always do itmdashitrsquos got to be according to the conditions and also whorsquos bowlingrdquo he saidlsquoYou have to be a guru with a still mindset to survive in IndiarsquoMatthew HaydenFormer Australia opener Matthew Hayden has lauded host Indiarsquos indomitable spirit and formidable home record and sees Rohit Sharma amp Co as the favourites to clinch the fivematch Test series against EnglandldquoI think itrsquos India all the way I was looking at the result this morning and thought that India as a touring side is a challenge for this reason Itrsquos a battle of energy and conservation of that resource which is very limitedrdquo Hayden told Star SportsHayden also highlighted the mental challenges faced by visiting teams in India where the energy of the crowd and the intense pressure can be overwhelming ldquoThe game the spectators and the country just keeps coming at you Therersquos this great energy in India especially in winning against England and you can put Australia on that list as well You have to be a guru and have to have a mindset of stillness just to be able to survive thereldquoYou have already seen England this series get in front of games but not be able to sustain it And it is because of the relentless nature of having to turn up every moment every ball every sessionrdquo Hayden saidlsquoJaiswal hasnrsquot learnt from us in fact Irsquod like to learn from himrsquoNasser HussainFormer England captain Nasser Hussain has hit out at Ben Duckett for his remark suggesting that Indiarsquos young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswalrsquos aggressive approach in the Rajkot Test was influenced by Englandrsquos Bazball strategyJaiswalrsquos scintillating unbeaten double century propelled India to a resounding 434run victory over England in the third TestSpeaking at the end of Day Three of the Rajkot Test Duckett praised Jaiswal for his century but also said ldquowhen you see players from the opposition playing like that it almost feels like we England should take some credit that theyrsquore playing differently than how other people play Test cricketrdquoReacting strongly to Duckettrsquos remark Hussain said ldquoThe comment on Jaiswal that he has learned from us I am going to touch on that He has not learned from you he has learned from his upbringing and all the hard yards he has put in while growing up he has learned from the IPL If anything I would look at him and learn from himrdquo Hussain said during a discussion with former England cricketer Michael Atherton on Sky SportslsquoToiling against India can wear you down at the end of a seriesrsquoGraeme SmithFormer South Africa captain Graeme Smith has cautioned England regarding their prospects in the ongoing Test series against India saying that if the hosts ldquoget their noses ahead then they are tough to catchrdquoldquoTherersquos always been a lot of talent but they seem to have taken away the fear provided a lot of security for people and look at the game in a really positive way England are certainly sticking true to the way that they want to play in India by applying pressure on the opposition and making them thinkrdquo Smith now Cricket South Africarsquos Director of Cricket was quoted by WisdenThe former Proteas batter advised England to stay mentally fresh ldquoItrsquos a very long tour and toiling against India like you have to with long days in the field combined with the heat can wear you down towards the back end of a series Staying mentally fresh positive and within your game plan is important England have done that well so far and need to hang tough for as long as possible because if India get their noses ahead then theyrsquoll be very difficult to chase downrdquo he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever