Harry Brook is one of the shining lights of world cricket. His 99 in the first innings of the Headingley Test went a long way in setting the game up for England. As the vice-captain prepares to take on India in the second Test in Birmingham from Wednesday, TOI caught up with the 26-year-old who shared his thoughts on the victory, future plans and how watching AB de Villiers bat has made a difference to his approach. Excerpts:
You guys have made 350-plus chases look like a habit. What is the thought process in the dressing room when such targets are given to you?
In the Headingley Test, we were all very calm. We knew we were going to go out there and try and chase whatever they set us anyway. Getting six Indian wickets for 40 runs in the third innings probably calmed us down a little bit more, because there was a time when we were staring at a 500-run chase… We knew exactly what we were going to do. The way Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley started the innings was phenomenal.
So is this calmness part and parcel of your mindset for such difficult chases. And do you guys believe even 450 plus can be chased — a sense of nothing is impossible?
Everybody knows that we’re going to try and chase whatever total they set us, So yes, who knows? 450 is a big total, but one thing is for sure, we’ll give it a good crack.
You survived trying an attacking shot at 0 in the first innings (off a no-ball). Tried a big shot again at 99 and got out. Even in the second innings, you were looking to be attacking in the first ball and got out. So, is it a habit of yours to hit on vulnerable moments, or such moments don’t exist in your playbook?
Well, I’ve had a little bit of reflection on it last week, I should have got a pair in that game. Obviously, I got out to Bumrah off a no-ball, so I’m pretty happy walking away with 99 and playing a critical role in that game. So yes, I just try and play the way I do. On 99, if you get a short ball, you’re probably more likely to take it on than if you’re on 0. I saw it as a scoring opportunity, and unfortunately, I top edged it straight to the man.
There is a lot of talk about you guys playing a refined version of Bazball . So, has there been a change in your approach in recent times?
I don’t think so too much, to be honest. I think we’re just trying to play the way that we do. Obviously, you go about chasing slightly differently in different settings — maybe take a bit more time with the realization that you’ve got a lot longer time than you think. Having said that, we’re still trying to play the way that we want to, just be more dominant and win more Test matches.
The Fab Four of the last decade (Kohli, Root, Williamson, Smith) is on its way out, if not retired. You and Shubman Gill are the next two big things of international cricket across formats. So, is this kind of a Sinner-Alcaraz situation for cricket and how do you see this rivalry shaping?
(Smiles) Oh, God, no, I hadn’t even thought about that. He’s obviously a very good player and hopefully I can play enough cricket for England to be playing against him plenty of times. Watching him last week, he’s very good, plays the ball late and plays fast bowling very well. So hopefully we don’t see too much of that for the rest of this series. But yes, I’m sure hopefully we’ll play a lot of cricket against each other.
There’s a lot of talk about Jasprit Bumrah in this series. Is he the best that you have faced in your career? And do you think if he doesn’t play, it will be a massive advantage for you?
He’s obviously a great bowler — releases it from a slightly awkward angle and has an amazing amount of skill as well. You just try and respect his good balls and attack his bad balls, really, like any other bowler. I think we had a good win with him playing last week. We’re going to try and look to put all the bowlers under pressure; it doesn’t matter who’s bowling at us. But yes, if the team’s missing the No. 1 Test bowler in the world, it could hopefully make a difference.
Do you have a target for yourself going forward in the series? And do you have an idol, on whom you have modelled your game?
Yes, I try to set little targets, But I don’t like telling anybody about them. I like to try and keep them to myself. I’ve watched a lot of players growing up, try and put little parts of their game into mine. As a kid, I used to love AB de Villiers bat, watch him for hours and try and figure out what he’s doing compared to other batters, which is making him so great. And obviously, there’s Joe Root in the side. I have spent a lot of time with him, talking to him about the game, and just learning on the job, really.
You’ll take over from Root as England’s No. 1 batter. If you can just explain your chemistry with him?
Root and I play at the same domestic club, so we’ve spent a lot of time together. We’re from the same county (Yorkshire) as well, so I played a decent amount with him before he even played for England. So, yes, we’ve got a good friendship, we speak a fair bit when we’re around each other and spend a lot of time, whether that’s in the nets or off the pitch or on the golf course.(Watch 2nd Test Between India & England on July 2nd, 3:30 PM onwards LIVE On Sony Sports Ten 1 & Sony Sports Ten 5 channels)
