"I don't know what it is" - When an Indian legend came up with a cheeky reaction on Bazball

England beat India by five wickets at Headingley in Leeds in the first Test of the five-match series. Set to chase a target of 371, England's Bazall philosophy came to the fore again as they gunned down the target in 82 overs at a highly impressive run rate of 4.54.

England's chase in Leeds was similar to their effort against India in the Birmingham Test in July 2022. In that match, Ben Stokes and co. were set 378 for victory. They cruised home in 76.4 overs, with seven wickets in hand as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hit unbeaten hundreds.

Speaking at the post-match press conference after India's defeat in Birmingham, Team India's then head coach Rahul Dravid was asked for his views on Bazball. He cheekily replied:

“I don’t know what it is.”

The former India captain, however, went on to praise England's performance in the match and added:

“But what I can say is that the kind of cricket they have played in the last four Test matches has been very good. It is not easy to chase in England, but they are doing it really well. When your players are in good form, you can play positive cricket, like we did in that innings when Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja were batting.”

India were asked to bat first in the 2022 Birmingham Test and recovered from a poor start to post 416 as Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja hit hundreds. They were, however, all-out for 245 in the second innings, setting England a target of 378. Dravid lamented that India failed to capitalize on their opportunities. He said:

"We had our opportunities, we played well over the first three days. We couldn't maintain that. That's why Test cricket is hard. And that's why Test cricket means that you have got to be able to keep putting those performances right through the five days. We were not able to do that and they did that better than us and they deserved to win this Test match."

Chasing 378, England slipped from 107-0 to 109-3. Root and Bairstow, however, featured in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 269.

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Leeds defeat a case of deja vu for India

There were a number of similarities in India's defeat to England in Leeds in the first Test and their loss in 2022 in Birmingham. In both matches, India batted first and put up a 400-plus score on the board. Keeper-batter Pant starred in both games for the visitors. While he scored twin hundreds in Leeds, he contributed a century and a half-century in Birmingham.

India dominated both the Test matches for a major part. However, England walked away victors in the end on both occasions. Their chase of 378 in Birmingham was their highest in Test cricket, while their effort in Leeds features second on the list.