India vs England 2021: “Can’t blame the pitch” – Nasser Hussain criticizes England’s approach after losing the third test in 2 days

India vs England 2021: “Can’t blame the pitch” – Nasser Hussain criticizes England’s approach after losing the third test in 2 days

Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain
Hussain says the pitch should not be blamed for team’s poor performance

England’s defeat in the third Test against India in Ahmedabad within two days has led to several former England cricketers talking about the quality of the pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium. The visitors were bundled out for 112 and 81 in consecutive days as India completed a 10-wicket win to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series.

A total of 17 wickets fell on the second day. While some believe the pitch was England’s undoing, many feel, including Indian captain Virat Kohli, that the lack of application against the turning ball from batsmen of both teams led to the match ending so soon.

Hussain feels that it was not a fair contest between bat an ball

Hussain feels batsmen’s approach against spin, lack of spin bowling options and rotation policy were the reasons behind England’s poor performance after the 1st test match which they won. Hussain said, “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. The occasional short Test match isn’t bad for cricket. But you wouldn’t want every Test to be like that. And 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”.

India’s two spinners – Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin – exploited the conditions beautifully: Patel with his pace and accuracy, Ashwin with his clever variations. “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” said Hussain. He also criticised the team for their rotation policy where they did not field their best XI for this important series and playing with only one spinner in spin-friendly pitch.

Hussain summed up his thoughts in a tweet saying, ”There has been a lot of chat about the pitch, and rightly so.. but the bottom line is that England found themselves 73-2 having won an important toss and were bowled out for 112 !! That’s where the game was lost. My thoughts..”

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