Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell is the latest to join the bandwagon of cricket experts who have given their opinion on the Motera wicket. India beat England inside two days in the third Test in Ahmedabad with the pitch becoming a huge subject of debate since then. The match finished within two days and was one of the shortest Test matches ever played. While the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Viv Richards have defended the surface, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd, and others have slammed it left, right and center.
Ian Chappell in his column for ESPN Cricinfo as spoken about the visitors struggles on the spinning wicket in the third Test. Chappell refrained from taking a jibe on the surface that was on offer for both sides and termed England players’ struggle against spin as “bizarre”.
“Virat Kohli described the day-night third Test, in Ahmedabad, as “bizarre”, a word that aptly describes the England batsmen’s attempts to cope with India’s spinners,” Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo.
India Assessed Conditions Better: Ian Chappell
“India’s decision to select three spinners for the Test was prompted by England’s batting on a tricky Chennai pitch, where their batsmen – Joe Root excepted – displayed a distinct ineptitude against spin. India correctly calculated that would result in mental scarring and used it to their advantage” he further added.
Also Read: England Batting Coach Jonathan Trott Denies Blaming Pitch For Third Test Loss
Like Chappell former Indian batsman VVS Laxman also kept his opinion on where England batsmen fell shot on countering the Indian spinners.
England Batsman Did Not Trust Their Defense: VVS Laxman
“When faced with a serious spin challenge, the England batsmen didn’t trust their defence, which eventually resulted in panicked attempts to attack the Indian spinners. Their choice to reverse-sweep rather than to leave their crease to change the bowler’s length is a classic example,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the loss has put England out of the race for the World Test Championship final. India, on the other hand, have to ensure that they should not lose the Test match and they will be playing the final against New Zealand on June 18 at Lord’s.
Also Read: Viv Richards Slams England On Criticism Over Motera Pitch