India captain Rohit Sharma has criticized Ben Duckett for his recent comments about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s aggressive batting. Duckett suggested that England’s bowlers deserve credit for encouraging opponents like Jaiswal to play aggressively.
Ben Duckett made these comments following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rapid century in the third Test of the current five-match series. Speaking after the third day’s play, Duckett, who also scored 153 runs quickly in the same Test, praised Jaiswal’s batting performance. He said:
“He looks like a superstar in the making, unfortunately, he’s in some very good form at the moment.”
He added: “When you see players from the opposition playing like that, it almost feels like we should take some credit that they’re playing differently than how other people play Test cricket. We saw it a bit in the summer and it’s quite exciting to see other players and other teams are also playing that aggressive style of cricket,”
Rohit Sharma Trolled Ben Duckett For His Bazball Claims
Duckett faced backlash from various quarters, including fans and former cricketers, for his remarks. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was among those who publicly criticized Duckett for his comments.
Rohit Sharma was questioned about Duckett’s comments during the pre-match press conference before the fifth Test. In response, the Indian captain swiftly pointed out Rishabh Pant’s aggressive batting style and hinted that Duckett might not have witnessed the wicketkeeper-batsman’s performances. Rohit said:
“There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Ben Duckett hasn’t seen him play,”
Rohit Sharma also addressed England’s “Bazball” approach during his discussion. He mentioned being unfamiliar with the term and acknowledged that England displayed superior cricket during their previous tour to India. He said:
Honestly don’t know what Bazball means. Whether it is strike, I don’t know what this term means. They played better cricket when they were here in the last series. Credit to two of the batters who scored a ton here,”
