Ace English pacer Jofra Archer was delighted with the New Sardar Patel Stadium in, Ahmedabad which will host the third Test match between India and England, and said that the ground is probably one of the best he has ever been to.
After hosting the knockouts of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy last month, the newly built Motera Stadium braces itself to host international cricket for the first time.
The old stadium was closed in 2015 for reconstruction and in its place, the largest cricket ground in the world which can hold 110,000 people and trumps the MCG in Australia that can accommodate 90,000 people.
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While addressing the new Motera stadium, English pacer Jofra Archer said that the ground is probably one of the best he has ever been to.
"The stadium is beautiful, the seats are beautiful. The ground is probably one of the best I have ever been to. Half of 1,10,000 would be present at the stadium, this is the most we get at most places anyway. Ready to see what unfolds when the match starts," Jofra Archer said while talking to ECB's media team.
Talking about the pink-ball Test, which will start from 24th February, Jofra Archer said that playing with SG pink ball would be a new thing for him and added that the third Test is very important as it will put England in the driver’s seat.
"Pink-ball feels pretty normal, to be honest. It is pretty much the same, it is a little bit hard to shine. It does a little bit more when the lights come on as compared to daytime. This is going to be new for me if I play the pink-ball Test with the SG ball. The next Test is very important, if we go all the way, that would put us in the driver's seat," he said.
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Jofra Archer, who missed the second Test due to an elbow injury, while reflecting on the same said that he could've played the second Test if there was a need.
"Always nice to be in competition for a spot in the team, if I do not get it then it's fine. I would rather win the series than play a lot of games. I could have played the second Test if needed but I was going to be rested anyway, I took the injection so that I could have enough time to be back," said Jofra Archer.
While addressing England Cricket team rotation’s policy, Archer said that resting and rotation are necessary and added that the beauty of a big squad is that all players can play at regular intervals.
"Resting is necessary looking at Covid-19. Rest and rotation are necessary. There is a lot of cricket this year, we have a big squad, we are giving guys a chance to show what they can do. The beauty of the big squad is that we can see everyone on a daily basis, you can still see what they can do." he concluded.
The four-match Test series is leveled at 1-1 and the remaining two Tests will be played at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The last two Tests will be important for both teams in the context of the ICC World Test Championship. India needs to win 2-1 or 3-1 to qualify for the final of the maiden edition of the championship. While England has to beat India by a margin of 3-1 to face New Zealand in the final.
(ANI inputs)
