Bairstow's knock highlights the problem of transition between red and white-ball cricket

SIMON HUGHES AT EDGBASTON: Jonny Bairstow’s impetuosity is thrilling and his electric running energises a stagnating innings. But from the belligerent nature of his stance onwards, there was just a little too much unnecessary risk in his play

^{Jonny Bairstow made 70 against India at Edgbaston}

If you wanted a video essay of the difficulties of switching from white ball to red, Jonny Bairstow’s innings at Edgbaston in the first Specsavers Test was the perfect example.

After a month and half of biffing and clouting the Australians and Indian white-ball attacks to all parts, his only red-ball outing before this Test was a first-baller and a rapid-fire 82 in the Roses match. 

Bairstow’s greatest asset in one-day cricket is the simplicity and economy of his shots. His upright stance, bat aloft like a baseballer, is the ideal pose with which to assault the ball.

He keeps the bat either perfectly vertical or horizontal and punches good balls for four with an abrupt, almost clinical, twitch of his bat.

He drives back past the bowler or pulls him over deep midwicket or flashes him past cover. He is at the ball at all times. It's a brilliant spectacle.

^{Bairstow was aggressive as has become the norm}

This is fine against the (non-swinging) white Kookaburra ball with no slips or gullies. But a Test-match attack armed with a red (Dukes) ball is a slightly different matter. There needs to be a little more selectivity, a little more light and shade. But Bairstow largely tries to play the same way.

He did here today anyway. Despite a purposeful 70 he was one of four England wickets that were more sacrificed rather than obtained by the Indian bowlers. 

Coming in at 112 for three, he began with a jabbed flick down to fine leg off the impressive Mohammed Shami, but had a waft at his fifth ball and played and missed. He deposited the third ball he faced from the spin of Ravi Ashwin clean over deep midwicket, but there were some inside edges from the in-duckers of Ishant Sharma.

There was one sumptuous drive off Sharma but also some sketchy thrusts that sent the ball flying wide of slip and some uncomplicated biffs past the bowler off length balls. Some brought runs, some skewed off the inside edge back up the pitch. 

^{The English wicketkeeper left just two balls}

Bairstow’s impetuosity is thrilling and his electric running energises a stagnating innings. But from the belligerent nature of his stance onwards, there was just a little too much unnecessary risk in his play. A number of times he tried to swish or steer a good length ball outside off stump through square cover with a flat-bat flap, throwing his hands at the ball.

It’s stunning if it comes off, as it usually does against the white ball. Against the red in the hands of a keen Indian attack, it is a little more chancey. Occasionally his partner Joe Root wandered down and said something. It might have been ‘don’t worry you’ll nail one in a minute’ or it might not.  

Bairstow did unleash some thrilling shots, surging to 50 with a bunt past the bowler followed by a flay through the covers from a ball that was neither particularly wide or particularly short and his 104-run partnership with Root was the highlight of the day.

But within three overs both were gone, Root to a superbly slick piece of fielding by Virat Kohli as the batsmen sought a second to square leg. And then Bairstow to an airy waft to a length ball that he could easily have left but which didn’t bounce as much as expected and cannoned into the stumps off the inside edge. His 70 came off 88 balls, only two of which he left alone. 

It seems harsh to criticise Bairstow who works so hard on his game and is so consistent. The boy done good. But he could have done better. The problem is he was still batting against the white ball.    

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