Image Source: ECB
[Saba Sports News] England’s head coach Brendon McCullum has expressed his support for Jonny Bairstow to regain his form during the current five-match Test series against India. Bairstow struggled in the third Test at Rajkot, scoring 0 and 4, contributing to England’s significant loss by 434 runs, which gave India a 2-1 series lead.
At the series outset, England captain Ben Stokes had high hopes for Bairstow, suggesting his return to form could be facilitated by focusing solely on batting, with Ben Foakes assuming wicketkeeping duties. Stokes emphasized the importance of Bairstow concentrating on batting at number five and contributing runs to the team.
“We saw what we managed to get out of him, and I don’t want him to worry about anything other than batting at five, getting runs and what’s in front of him in the here and now,” Stokes stated.
McCullum has confirmed Bairstow will maintain his place in the team for the upcoming fourth Test in Ranchi, which will mark his 99th Test appearance.
“You know I can’t answer that, I haven’t even seen the wicket. But I’d anticipate Jonny would be playing, yes,” McCullum shared when asked about Bairstow’s position. “Yeah look, he’s not scored the volume of runs he would have wanted and a couple of times he’s got out kind of mildly for someone who’s got the power game Jonny’s got. I don’t have concerns over him. I’m not blind but he’s done so well for us and he’s had such an impactful career. We know that a top-quality Jonny Bairstow is as good as anyone in any conditions. So from our point of view, we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise as well and keep him really present and focused on what he’s trying to achieve, and I’m sure Jonny will come good,” he added.
Despite Bairstow’s recent performance not meeting expectations, McCullum remains optimistic about his abilities, highlighting his significant impact and career achievements. McCullum stressed the importance of continuing to provide Bairstow with confidence, minimizing distractions, and focusing on his immediate goals, confident that Bairstow’s quality will shine through in any conditions.