Former England captain Nasser Hussain admitted that the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad hasn’t provided a fair contest between bat and ball, but at the same time said the tourists can’t use it as an excuse for the embarrassing defeat in the pink-ball Test.
England could manage only 112 and 81 runs in their two innings with Joe Root and Jack Leach taking 5 and 4 wickets respectively at the spin-friendly Narendra Modi Stadium before going down 1-2 in the four-match Test series with a 10-wicket defeat in the day-night Test on Thursday (February 25).
After the third Test ended in just two days in Ahmedabad, Nasser said the latest oink ball Test showed England that where the test team stands when it comes to playing in sub-continental pitches.
However, former England batsman felt the Motera pitch can’t be blamed for the match ending within two days, as he believes that the batsmen failed to adapt to the conditions in the third Test.
Hussain wrote in The Daily Mail: “For batsmen on both sides and don't forget India were bowled out for 145 it was an exhausting business. It was fun to watch, but probably less fun to play. And let's face it: if Joe Root is taking five for eight, you can hardly say the pitch is a belter.”
He continued, “Having said all that, England should expect little else when they come to India. And they ought to have done better after winning the toss. Above all, this game told us a lot about where England are as a Test side in these conditions.
I don't believe the Ahmedabad pitch provided a fair contest between bat and ball, but neither do I believe England can use that as an excuse for losing the third Test.
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The occasional short Test match isn't bad for cricket. The amount of chat on social media about that game must have been off the scale, and for five sessions you could not take your eyes off it. When the tea interval arrived on the second evening, I didn't want the players to leave the field. But you wouldn't want every Test to be like that.”
Hussain also lauded Indian spinners R Ashwin and Akshar Patel for their brilliant show in the day-night Test against England in Ahmedabad. Ashwin scalped 7 wickets while Patel returned with 11 wickets.
He said, “What made that surface a more difficult one than the second Test at Chennai was the fact that one ball turned and the next did not and there was no obvious way for the batsmen to differentiate. You end up prodding at the ball, which deprives batsmen of the chance to get into any sort of rhythm.”
Nasser signed off by saying, “India's two spinners Akshar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin exploited the conditions beautifully: Patel with his pace and accuracy, Ashwin with his clever variations.”
