"Bazball was an absolute flop show" - Mohammad Kaif on what gave India the edge over England

Mohammad Kaif has termed England's Bazball approach 'an absolute flop show' in the recently concluded Test series against India.

England registered a spectacular come-from-behind 28-run win in the first Test in Hyderabad. However, they suffered reversals in the next four Tests, including an innings defeat in the final game in Dharamsala, to lose the series 4-1.

On the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues', Kaif was asked about his thoughts on what gave India the edge over England.

"Bazball was an absolute flop show. When they (England) won the first Test match, it seemed like it would be a very good series. It's a big thing to win the first Test match when you come to India," he responded.

While opining that England's overaggressive approach proved counterproductive, the former India batter praised Rohit Sharma for leading from the front.

"After that, to lose Test matches continuously and to lose the series, I feel Bazball was slightly exposed. Rohit Sharma captained very well and showed good form," Kaif added.

Rohit amassed 400 runs at an average of 44.44 in nine innings in the five-match series. Although the Indian captain did not have a great start to the series with the bat, he struck a century each in the third and fifth Tests and played a crucial 55-run knock in India's 192-run chase in the fourth game in Ranchi.

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"Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami weren't there in this series" - Mohammad Kaif on India missing key players

Virat Kohli opted out of the series due to personal reasons.

Mohammad Kaif noted that India emerged victorious despite missing many first-team regulars either throughout or for a portion of the series.

"Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Shami weren't there in this series. It means many key players were missing. Even (Ravindra) Jadeja and (Jasprit) Bumrah didn't play in the middle. It's a huge thing to win the series in the absence of many key players," he observed.

The cricketer-turned-commentator praised the youngsters for making the most of their chances.

"It was a complete team performance. The new players who are coming, whether you talk about Sarfaraz (Khan) or (Dhruv) Jurel, played splendidly. So the young players who made their debuts grabbed their opportunities with both hands," Kaif stated.

Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Devdutt Padikkal made their Test debuts during the five-match series. Although Patidar failed to grab his opportunity, the others showcased their potential at the international level.