Jonny Bairstow has hit back to Sunil Gavaskar for his comments about him during the third Test match against India in Ahmedabad.
England’s star opener and wicketkeeper (at times) Jonny Bairstow has come out and hit back at Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar. That was in response to some of his earlier comments about the current English batsman. Gavaskar had earlier said that Bairstow looks ‘uninterested’ while batting in Test matches, which was in reference to his dismissal in one of the games.
Bairstow hit back at Gavaskar after he scored a stunning match-winning hundred against India. He looked lavishing with the bat in the second ODI against England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. The Sunrisers Hyderabad star also managed to score a fiery 94 in the first ODI. He later backed it up with a 124-run innings in the second ODI. This helped him guide his team to victory and level the series 1-1.
England was in cruise control throughout their chase of the 337 runs target in the second ODI. They smacked the Indian bowlers all around the park. Besides Bairstow, his opening partner Jason Roy scored 55. After his departure, Ben Stokes joined him at the crease and took the game away from India. He scored 99 runs off 52 balls.
What Sunil Gavaskar Had Said About The English Batsman?
Post the completion of the second ODI, Bairstow hit back at Gavaskar for his comments during the third Test match of the series. Bairstow lost his wicket for a duck in both the innings of that Test match, as India secured a comprehensive 10 wickets victory over the tourists in that match. Gavaskar then said that Bairstow looked ‘uninterested’ while batting in a Test match.
“You have not scored a run. You just come in to bat and push at it. That too as if there was no fielder at backward short leg. Looked to me as if it was the shot of a person uninterested. What is he trying to do? The first ball, he should be looking to play a soft defensive shot. There is a fielder there at backwards short leg. Uninterested.”
Jonny Bairstow Feels That Gavaskar Should Have Had Some Kind Of Communication With Him Before Making Such A Comment; As He Mentioned In His Virtual Press Conference
While replying to Gavaskar’s statements, Bairstow said that he has not heard about his comments. However, he then took a dig at him and said that he is surprised that Gavaskar made such a comment without having any sort of communication with him. He even added that Gavaskar is more than welcome to call or message him to make him understand his interests in Tests.
“First of all, I had not heard that. To add to that, I am interested as to how opinion can have been made especially when there has been no kind of correspondence and communication between myself and him.”
“He is more than welcome to give me a ring. That is when I will speak to him about my will to do well in Test cricket and the enjoyment I get out of playing the longer format of the game. As I said, my phone is on. If he wants, he can call or message me at any point of time.”
Summary Of The Second ODI; England Wins
Coming to the game, India scored 336 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 50 overs. KL Rahul scored a century ( 109 runs off 114 balls) band Rishabh Pant ( 77 off 40) and Virat Kohli (66 off 79) scored half-centuries each. Chasing the total, England secured a comfortable win against the hosts.
Roy and Bairstow yet again stitched together a quickfire hundred runs partnership for the first wicket. The duo scored 110 runs in just 84 deliveries. Rohit Sharma provided the breakthrough with a superb bit of fielding to run out Jason Roy. Ben Stokes then joined hands with Bairstow and took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners. They scored 175 runs for the second wicket before India dismissed both of them in quick succession.
Jonny Bairstow scored 124 runs off 112 balls and was the highest run-getter for his side. His opening partner Jason Roy also managed to get some runs. He scored 55 runs off 52 balls, which was a huge boost for the team. Ben Stokes came in and scored a brilliant knock. He managed to get 99 runs off of just 52 balls. The Three Lions lost three wickets in quick succession. It was Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone that managed to guide them to a six-wicket victory, with 6.3 overs still left to spare. The series is at present quite closely contested and level at 1-1. The series decider is scheduled to be played at the same venue on the 28th of March.
