Former England spinner Monty Panesar has backed Ravi Shastri to replace Brendon McCullum as England’s head coach following their humiliating Ashes defeat, arguing that the former India coach knows exactly how to beat Australia. With England surrendering the Ashes urn after losing the first three Tests in just 11 days, pressure has mounted on McCullum and his “Bazball” philosophy, with calls growing louder for a change in leadership. Panesar believes Shastri’s proven track record of guiding India to back-to-back Test series wins in Australia makes him the ideal candidate to revive English cricket.

“Who knows how to beat Australia? Ravi Shastri”

Speaking to journalist Ravi Bisht, Panesar explained why Shastri would be the perfect replacement for McCullum. He said,

“You have to think, who exactly knows how to beat Australia? How will you take advantage of Australia’s weakness, mentally, physically, and tactically. I think Ravi Shastri should become England’s next head coach.”

Panesar pointed to Shastri’s incredible record with India in Australia, where he guided the team to historic 2-1 Test series victories in both 2018-19 and 2020-21. Before those two triumphs, India had never won a Test series on Australian soil. Shastri himself has compared those achievements to beating the West Indies in their prime during the 1980s, highlighting just how difficult it is to win in Australia.​

The 2020-21 series win was particularly remarkable, as India bounced back from being bowled out for 36 in Adelaide to win in Melbourne and then breach Australia’s fortress at the Gabba, where they had not lost a Test since 1988.

Bazball collapses in 11 days

England’s 3-0 deficit in the Ashes has exposed serious flaws in the “Bazball” approach under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. Australia won the first two Tests by eight wickets each in Perth and Brisbane, then sealed the series with an 82-run victory in Adelaide, denying England a chance to chase a record-breaking 435 runs. The entire series was effectively over in just 11 days of play, a stunning collapse for a team that had generated so much hype before arriving in Australia.

England’s inability to compete with either bat or ball in fast, bouncy Australian conditions has intensified scrutiny on McCullum’s tenure and raised questions about whether the aggressive, result-oriented philosophy works outside home conditions. Critics like Geoffrey Boycott have already called for McCullum to be sacked, saying “Bazball has run its race” and that England need a fresh approach.

Shastri’s proven formula against Australia

What makes Shastri an attractive candidate is his deep understanding of what it takes to beat Australia in their own backyard. Under his coaching, India developed a winning formula based on strong fast bowling, resilient batting and smart tactical adjustments to local conditions.​

Shastri recently spoke about the significance of India’s back-to-back wins in Australia, saying,

“When you go there and win back-to-back series, you capture the imagination of people. Every cricketer knows that a series in Australia is one of the toughest”.​

His ability to prepare teams mentally, physically and tactically for the unique challenges of playing in Australia is exactly what Panesar believes England need right now.

England’s wait continues

England have not won a Test series in Australia since their historic 2010-11 triumph under Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower. That’s now 14 years and four consecutive Ashes series defeats Down Under. While England have made two changes to their side for the Boxing Day Test starting on December 26 in Melbourne, they are playing only for pride with the Ashes already gone.

The pressure on McCullum and Stokes has never been higher, and Panesar’s suggestion of Shastri as a replacement reflects growing frustration with England’s inability to compete in Australia despite all the talk of playing aggressive, entertaining cricket.

Whether the England and Wales Cricket Board will seriously consider Shastri remains to be seen, but Panesar’s endorsement highlights the respect the former India coach has earned for his tactical acumen and proven success against Australia.