Bazball comes naturally to us, says Crawley

Visakhapatnam: England opener Zak Crawley on Wednesday said most of his teammates have become better players since embracing the ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' approach, which is way more compatible with their natural game than the traditional "take-your-time" strategy.

England are yet to lose a Test since pioneering 'Bazball' under their 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.

"A lot of us play a bit better under this regime," he added. Asked what it would mean for the English team, Crawley said his team is more focussed on its 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.

England's most experienced spinner Jack Leach is all set to miss the second Test against India starting , owing to a left knee injury sustained during the series-opener in Hyderabad. Leach didn't take part in the team's training session on Wednesday and was seen receiving treatment from the physio on the sidelines. "He's a tough kid, Leachy. So, I am not sure. You never know with Jack. You can never really write him off. We'll see how he pulls up in a couple of days," opener Zak Crawley said .

Leach had jarred his left knee while fielding on the first day of the Hyderabad Test, which England won by 28 runs. He played through pain, bowling 26 overs in the first innings and 10 in the second essay despite bruising and swelling around the joint. He was seen limping during Wednesday's training session.