Former England captain Nasser Hussain has opined that the visitors cannot use the pitch as an excuse for losing the third Test match against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Hussain stated that it wasn’t a fair contest between bat and ball as the match was wrapped up in only two days.
England was skittled out for a paltry score of 112 runs in the first innings, with Axar Patel being the wrecker-in-chief as he scalped 6-38. Subsequently, India could only manage 145 runs in their first innings as they lost the last seven wickets for 46 runs. The tourists were then bundled out for a meager score of 81 runs in the second essay as Patel once again took a five-wicket haul.
The Indian spinners were relentless as Ashwin and Patel took a total of 18 wickets between them. There was no getting away for the England batsmen as both of these spinners troubled them continuously.
Only 387 runs were scored in 140.2 overs. The batsmen failed to show any stomach for the fight as they couldn’t get going. In fact, 21 out of the 30 wickets were taken on straight deliveries.
“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. India’s two spinners – Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin – exploited the conditions beautifully. Patel with his pace and accuracy, Ashwin with his clever variation. But 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,” wrote Nasser Hussain for Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, England’s captain Joe Root had won the crucial toss and had elected to bat first. The tourists were 74-2 in their first innings but then lost the last eight wickets for 38 runs to get dismissed for a meager score of 112 runs. Furthermore, they could only manage 81 runs in the second essay and couldn’t get going with the bat.
“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. There’ll be a lot of discussion about the pitch, and the hasty decision-making of the third umpire, and so on. But that’s for others to discuss. The bottom line for England is that they won a good toss, and collapsed from 74 for two to 112 in their first innings. In the end, that’s what cost them the Test,” added Nasser Hussain.
Hussain added that the visitors kept making the same mistakes against Axar Patel, who took a total of 11 wickets in the match. The guests were not able to show the gumption with the bat and it led to the downfall of the team.
The fourth Test match will take place at the same venue of Narendra Modi Stadium from March 4.
