England starter Zak Crawley claimed on Wednesday that most of his teammates have improved since adopting the ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' style, which is far more suitable with their natural game than the usual "take-your-time" tactic. England defeated India by 28 runs in the first Test in Hyderabad, after surrendering a 190-run first innings lead, demonstrating a battling spirit that surprised the pre-series favorites. England have not lost a Test since pioneering 'Bazball' under New Zealand coach Brendon McCullum.
"I suppose it ('Bazball') comes quite naturally as a lot of our teams are playing more aggressively. The mindset when I first came to England was to backlight or take your time and build a long innings and I didn't think that came naturally to me and a few of the others," Crawley said in a press conference ahead of the second Test starting here on Friday.
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"A lot of us play a bit better under this regime," he added.
In contrast, India was dealing with a selection issue in addition to trying to figure out why they didn't play well in Hyderabad after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and top-order batsman KL Rahul were out due to injury.
The hosts are already missing stalwart Virat Kohli, who has opted out of the first two Tests for personal reasons.
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When asked what it would entail for the English squad, Crawley responded that his team is more focused on performance and planning.
"...we haven't spoken about that. It sounds cliched but we stick to our own lead up ... we don't bother about what they are doing," Crawley said when asked if the absence of the duo is a boost for England.
"Two very good players missing out but I'm sure looking at their depth they have two very good players coming in. So, that won't change anything for us too much. We're just trying to play the same, read the conditions on day one and see what happens for there," he added.
India has called up Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, and Sourabh Kumar to replace the injured trio. The hosts might also choose to play Rajat Patidar, a domestic veteran.
Following the loss in spin-friendly circumstances in Hyderabad, there is a lot of speculation about the types of wickets that the hosts will prepare for the second Test, which begins here on Friday. Crawley, that's not a worry either.
"They're absolutely a top side in their own conditions. There are four games left, we have got to stick to what we do well and hopefully results come from there," he said.England underwent an extended training camp in Abu Dhabi to prepare for the series in India and Crawley feels the camp benefitted them even though some former players had criticised the team for not landing in India early.
"It was exactly how we wanted...The wickets in Abu Dhabi turned a lot because we wanted them and we made them turn," he said.
Talking of preparation, Crawley said using sweep shots against spinners, something that Ollie Pope executed to perfection during his epic knock of 196, is a well thought out strategy.
"I think sweeping and reverse sweeping when it's spinning is a good option. It takes the spin out of plan. I think the reverse sweep is more common for us, because there's just less field in there," he said.
"They always seem to have two men out on the leg side. If they had two men out on the other side, we'd probably play the sweep...the reverse sweep comes probably just as naturally to us as the normal sweep," he added.
While their lone bowler, Mark Wood, remained wicketless, Indian quick Jasprit Bumrah took six wickets, including four for 41 in the second innings, which featured an excellent reverse-swing performance. Crawley was effusive in his appreciation of the Indian star.
"He is an incredible bowler. I think he bowls a yard fuller in India or bowls long yorkers and things like that.
"They have and unbelievable seam of attack, which you can't take for granted," he signed off.
