Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has reckoned that the Ahmedabad pitch was not ideal for Test cricket as the pink-ball Test between India and England got over in just 2 days.
After bundling out England for 112 and then getting a 33-run lead in the first innings, India dismissed England for 81 again. Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill then chased down the 49-run target with ease to hand India a 10-wicket win. The match lasted for just over 5 sessions.
Further, Yuvraj Singh congratulated Ishant Sharma for his 100th Test and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for taking 400 wickets in the longest format, but only before stating that on wickets like one at Narendra Modi Stadium, his formers teammates Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh could have ended taking up 1,000 and 800 wickets respectively.
However, India captain Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have said that there were “no demons” on the pitch, adding that batsmen failed to apply themselves in a better way.
“To be honest, on a pitch like that.. the pitch didn’t do anything. If I can recollect, most of the batsmen got out to straighter deliveries. Not just them, we, as a batting unit, made a lot of mistakes. We didn’t bat well in the first innings. The pitch had nothing as such, no such demons as we call. It was a nice pitch to bat on, once you’re in, you can score runs as well,” Rohit said during a virtual press conference.
“To be honest, I don’t think the quality of batting was up to standards. We were 100 for 3 and then got bowled out for less than 150. It was just the odd ball turning and it was a good wicket to bat in the first innings. It was bizarre that 21 of the 30 wickets fell to straight balls, Test cricket is about trusting your defence. Lack of application ensured it was a quick finish,” Virat Kohli had said during the presentation ceremony.
