The third Test of the series played at Ahmedabad – the shortest Test since 1935 – saw India beat England in under two days. It is still the topic of discussion, even on the eve of the series-decider at the same venue, starting Thursday.
While the critics of the pitch have been many, the players who actually played the match have blamed everything, other than the 22 yards, for the result. Indians Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma blamed the batters for the poor show, while England captain Joe Root suggested the pink-ball could be part of the reason.
Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel too agreed with the Indian team players’ and even added that the English had a reason to be thankful to the hosts for the pitch.
“I thought it wasn’t a pitch where a Test match would get over in two days. There’s no doubt that it was a turning wicket, but you know, as Rohit and Virat also said, it wasn’t (about) the quality of the pitch but the quality of batting. Both of them admitted that it was the lack of application from both sides,” Parthiv, also a Star Sports expert during this series, told The Quint.
“England should be thanking India that they are playing on this type of wicket because they need it for their spinners to come into the game. I don’t think otherwise they have a bowling attack which can trouble India’s batting on normal wickets. So, I think more than anything, England should be thanking India for giving them a little bit of a chance,” he added.
(The India vs England 4th Test will be broadcast LIVE on the Star Sports Network from 4 March 2021, 9:30 AM onwards. Fans can catch Cricket Live on 4 March at 08:30 AM.)
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