Ind vs Eng: Joe Root Miffed, Virat Kohli Defends ‘Pitch’s Role’ After Dramatic Day 2 Of D/N Test

Ind vs Eng, Pink-ball Test: Team India scripted history at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by beating England in Ind vs Eng 3rd Test match by 10 wickets in just two days.After a heroic knock from Rohit Sharma (66), spinners R Ashwin (4/48) and Axar Patel (5/32) spun a web to power their team to a 10-wicket memorable win and take a 2-1 lead in the four-match Test series.

England batters looked clueless and confused against Indian spinners as wickets fell like ninepins on Pink-ball Test’s Day 2. And while England cricket team captain Joe Root didn’t directly critice the pitch at Motera, he said that him taking a five-wicket haul ‘summed up things’.

ALSO READ | ‘Entertaining But Awful’: Narendra Modi Stadium’s Spin-Friendly Pitch Enrages Cricket Purists

“I think it sums up the wicket, if I am getting a fifer. Congratulations to Ishant (Sharma) for 100 Tests and (Ravichandran) Ashwin for 400 Test wickets,” skipper Root said at the end of Ahmedabad Test.

With spinners wreaking havoc and surface crumbling at both batting ends, pitch at Motera did receive criticism and raised a few eyebrows after spinners bagged 28 of the 30 wickets in Ind vs Eng Pink-ball Test.

However, captain of the winning team, Virat Kohli defended the track by highlighting that the quality of the batting was to be blamed as most of the batsmen got out to balls that didn’t turn.

“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 bizzare 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,” captain Kohli explained.

India openers Rohit Sharma (25) and Shubman Gill (15) easily chased down the 49-run target to help India take 2-1 lead. A win, especially in a Day/Night Test was important for the hosts after shambolic defeat in their last Day-Night Test match against Australia in Adelaide.