‘Reckless’ batting is the reason given by former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin for England’s loss in the opening Test of the 2025/26 Ashes. In their first and second innings, England were bowled out for 172 and 164, respectively.
After their performance in the series-opening match, Ashwin posted a video on his YouTube account asking how “reckless” England’s aggressive style of cricket could get. He even compared the way English batters approach their game to the style of India’s up-and-coming players when dealing in boundaries.
In fact, I’m wondering where the word “reckless” will continue to have its bandwidth. How reckless can you get if you keep using that bandwidth to the fullest? I don’t want to steal players’ names.
Many next-generation players, including those on the Indian side, will take chances and hit lofted shots even when the fielders are back on the boundary, Ashwin stated.
However, the seasoned off-spinner also said that the batting unit had to have worked much harder, particularly after taking a 40-run lead in the first innings thanks to the bowlers. He also considered the counsel given by former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid on the same subject.
How rash can you be as a batting group? Because you lost five wickets for about 20 runs on Day 1 and were dismissed for 172. Your bowling assault then regained the initiative and put you up by 40 runs. As a batting unit, your first responsibility is to ensure that your bowlers get adequate rest.
“Give your bowlers overnight rest and see how they respond,” Rahul (Dravid) bhai would often say. They arrived today and cleaned up the final wicket. I have no doubt that the England bowlers would have wanted to put their feet up, but they quickly returned to the pitch to defend a pitiful 200 [205], he continued.
In two innings, England played a total of just 67.3 overs. The tourists’ leading run scorers in each innings were Harry Brook (52 off 61) and Gus Atkinson (37 off 32). The Ben Stokes-led team was unable to spend enough time out in the middle, despite scoring runs at a pace of 5.23 in the first innings and 4.73 in the second.
During the run-chase, Travis Head’s daring knock (123 off 83) ultimately destroyed the Three Lions. They lost by eight wickets. Mitchell Starc was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, which included a 10-wicket haul. The second Test is set to start in Brisbane on December 4.
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