[Cricket] Third Test- India v England- Venue: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad 24-28.02.2021

[Phil B]

Forget about 4 Day Test matches - 2 Day tests are obviously what India prefer.

Mind you - that is a three day loss of revenue.

Still, they are almost certs for the 3-1 series they wanted ......

 

[maltaseagull]

Well played the groundsman....joke trying to play a FIVE day test match on that.

Maybe the pitch was poor. Despite that we were completely outclassed in every department. The conditions were the same for both sides and we had the choice to bat first.

A pathetic batting displaying both innings. The bowlers must so fed up with bailing the batsmen out of the trouble they have caused themselves.

 

[mwrpoole]

I do wonder if we were in 'normal' times and the ground was sold out for 4 days, whether the wicket would have been any different?

 

[The Wizard]

I thought the pitch for the 2nd test was fair - obviously favoured the spinners, but India managed to score runs in both their innings and Foakes was able to trust his defence to get to 40 odd in his first knock.

The pitch for this match was just not good enough for a test match. I understand it's the first test at the ground and the groundsman might not have a good handle on it yet, but it doesn't change the fact that it wasn't fit for purpose.

I would say more fair but I still think the ball bursting through the surface like it did in that Chennai second test from pretty much morning one is nothing like a traditional Indian wicket, Indian wickets normally turn of course that much is inevitable but very rarely have I see a pitch like it was on day one, but as you say in fairness the Indians thoroughly deserved that, 600 scored over two innings, no complaints.

For me it doesn’t sit well that we played 3 quicker bowlers and the footholes, which are vital for bowler SAFETY let alone accuracy and ability to bowl, were falling to pieces after half a day, I’ve never, in many many years watching test cricket seen the area where the bowlers land disintegrate like that.

Indian pitches are normally much more similar to the first test pitch IMO, where you bat first and go big and then the pitch as it bakes in the sun starts turning big, it’s no surprise they’ve prepared two wickets that were raging turners after England won that first test.

That being said, Axar and Ashwin in these conditions are nearly unplayable, our batting was poor but I genuinely believe you could put any team in history out there on that pitch against them two and you’d struggle to make 200.

The future of test cricket is very bleak if home teams are allowed to produce pitches like this though, even English wickets, yes we prepare grassy wickets sometimes but you very rarely see proper green tops for test cricket in England nowadays, probably for the very reason that you don’t want tests done in 2/3 days.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I would say more fair but I still think the ball bursting through the surface like it did in that Chennai second test from pretty much morning one is nothing like a traditional Indian wicket, Indian wickets normally turn of course that much is inevitable but very rarely have I see a pitch like it was on day one, but as you say in fairness the Indians thoroughly deserved that, 600 scored over two innings, no complaints.

For me it doesn’t sit well that we played 3 quicker bowlers and the footholes, which are vital for bowler SAFETY let alone accuracy and ability to bowl, were falling to pieces after half a day, I’ve never, in many many years watching test cricket seen the area where the bowlers land disintegrate like that.

Indian pitches are normally much more similar to the first test pitch IMO, where you bat first and go big and then the pitch as it bakes in the sun starts turning big, it’s no surprise they’ve prepared two wickets that were raging turners after England won that first test.

That being said, Axar and Ashwin in these conditions are nearly unplayable, our batting was poor but I genuinely believe you could put any team in history out there on that pitch against them two and you’d struggle to make 200.

The future of test cricket is very bleak if home teams are allowed to produce pitches like this though, even English wickets, yes we prepare grassy wickets sometimes but you very rarely see proper green tops for test cricket in England nowadays, probably for the very reason that you don’t want tests done in 2/3 days.

Not that I'm the vindictive type, but when India come over in the summer, we need the greenest, seam friendly wickets possible, and biased home umpires. See how they like it.

 

[dazzer6666]

The pitch was totally unfit for test match cricket
The Indians did little better then we did in their first innings, despite us only having one ‘proper’ spinner - can’t really judge the second innings as they didn’t have enough of a target
Root had ridiculous figures - village cricket
Compelling to watch for a few sessions but a joke of a test match which is almost entirely due to the pitch

 

[The Wizard]

Not that I'm the vindictive type, but when India come over in the summer, we need the greenest, seam friendly wickets possible, and biased home umpires. See how they like it.

And a hooping green pitch for their ‘test championship’ final against New Zealand, NZ love a green surface.

That’s what I mean about it setting a dangerous precedent, if pitches like these last two are allowed, which take home advantage to a whole new level what’s to stop everyone doing it?

Watching the groundsman come out with that huge mallet thing trying to smash down dry dust like it was going to actually do anything to those foot marks on day bloody ONE tells you all you need to know, if this game was at county level or even higher club level that kind of surface would be deemed unacceptable, yet somehow it’s just tolerated as a 5 day test pitch because ‘home advantage’

 

[Eeyore]

Not that I'm the vindictive type, but when India come over in the summer, we need the greenest, seam friendly wickets possible, and biased home umpires. See how they like it.

Having watched much of the series, I don't believe there is any umpire bias. There is no evidence of that and umpires know they are playing for their places.

As regards green tops, it would certainly favour England although Bumrah had a good 2018 series. Sharma is no mug either.

Green tops don't need to be prepared as the Duke ball swings in English conditions regardless. The Duke is our answer to their sandpit.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

If a first-class ground in England had it's county championship [4-day game] be over inside 2 days with 30 wickets falling, the ECB pitch inspectors would be all over it with possible result void repercussions and a heavy fine for the home club. The groundsman would also be in for a serious chewing ...

But the toothless ICC will turn a blind-eye.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Not that I'm the vindictive type, but when India come over in the summer, we need the greenest, seam friendly wickets possible, and biased home umpires. See how they like it.

Conditions this extreme are more of a leveller than a real advantage, hence Root managing to get 5-8 or whatever it was.

A pitch with just enough life in it for Anderson and Broad to take advantage would be better for England than a pitch that any county medium pacer could dominate on.

 

[knocky1]

Not that I'm the vindictive type, but when India come over in the summer, we need the greenest, seam friendly wickets possible, and biased home umpires. See how they like it.

Yeah stick it up their Bumrah!
Also make sure that the Lords pitch helps the Kiwis (or Australians if we win 4th Test) when India turn up in June for the World Test Championship.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Michael Vaughn on R5 was pretty withering in his judgment of the England team - batsmen not good enough (other than Root, of course), selection policy poor, overall lack of strategic direction for the test team. Made some very telling points.
Root is to the England team what bloody Zaha is to the Palace.

 

[zefarelly]

I have to say, todays BBc radio coverage is better than yesterdays.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Maybe the pitch was poor. Despite that we were completely outclassed in every department. The conditions were the same for both sides and we had the choice to bat first.

A pathetic batting displaying both innings. The bowlers must so fed up with bailing the batsmen out of the trouble they have caused themselves.

England were not ‘outclassed in every department’ though, were they? Joe Root had the best figures of any spinner in the match.

Joe Root! Which just shows how ridiculously spin-friendly the surface was.

India outplayed England in one department - batting in extreme spin-friendly conditions. And even then, I’m not accepting they outCLASSED anyone - they were bowled out for 145 by a part time spinner, FFS.

 

[Jeremiah]

England were not ‘outclassed in every department’ though, were they? Joe Root had the best figures of any spinner in the match.

Joe Root! Which just shows how ridiculously spin-friendly the surface was.

India outplayed England in one department - batting in extreme spin-friendly conditions. And even then, I’m not accepting they outCLASSED anyone - they were bowled out for 145 by a part time spinner, FFS.

Extreme spin friendly conditions in India ? who could ever have predicted that ? Apparently not our selectors who chose to only play one recognized spinner !

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

Extreme spin friendly conditions in India ? who could ever have predicted that ? Apparently not our selectors who chose to only play one recognized spinner !

Considering Root took 5/8 in 38 balls, it's difficult to see how selecting a second spinner would have improved the situation unless they'd managed to reanimate Hedley Verity's corpse for the occasion.

 

[vegster]

England were not ‘outclassed in every department’ though, were they? Joe Root had the best figures of any spinner in the match.

Joe Root! Which just shows how ridiculously spin-friendly the surface was.

India outplayed England in one department - batting in extreme spin-friendly conditions. And even then, I’m not accepting they outCLASSED anyone - they were bowled out for 145 by a part time spinner, FFS.

I would say that the Indians simply hadn't done their homework on Joe Root as a bowler. These days every bowler gets viewed and analysed hundreds of times by batsmen before a series commences so they can try and read their deliveries.... Its why Jimmy Anderson runs in to bowl with his hands covering the ball. I think the chance of Root bowling was so unlikely they did not know what he could do.

Well, that's my theory and it belongs to me. ..