England mulling to lodge official complaint over pitch after 10-wicket defeat in 3rd Test

After an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat in the third Test, England is mulling to lodge an official complaint against the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium used for the pink-ball game which ended within two days. This comes despite several players, including England skipper Joe Root, clarifying that the pitch had no part to play in the game and it was the batsmen from both the teams who failed to perform. If the pitch is doomed 'poor' by the ICC, India could be docked World Test Championship (WTC) points hampering its chances to qualify for the finale in June later this year. 

After the defeat against India, England Head Coach Chris Silverwood remarked that he would be having a chat with skipper Joe Root 'behind the scenes' to chalk out their action over the wicket. Silverwood had stated that the English team is 'disappointed' with the early finish and added that they've spoken to the match referee - Javagal Srinath - but not about the pitch. 

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"We will be talking about certain things behind the scenes. At the same time, we are disappointed that we are sat here when there should be three days of cricket left. I am sure a few spectators are as well. We've spoken to [match referee] Javagal Srinath but not about the pitch. Joe and I have to have a sit-down, have a conversation and see where we go with it," Silverwood had said. 

Root admits batting failure

Significantly, in the post-match presentation, skipper Joe Root had admitted to poor batting by the touring party and highlighted that it was ICC's job to assess the pitch. While Root accepted that England had been outplayed by India, he maintained that the 'people had been robbed' of the fiery contest between the bat and bowl. Root remarked that the fans had come in to watch a contest between James Anderson and Virat Kohli, but instead had to watch him bowl. Interestingly, skipper Root bagged a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the game and registered his career-best figures. On Saturday, a BCCI official confirmed to PTI that England has not lodged any complaint yet. 

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While India opted to field three frontline spinners in its playing XI for the third Test, England went into the game with three seamers. However, after watching Indian spinner wreak havoc, the seamers remained out of action for most of the match. Out of the 30 wickets that fell in the third game, only two had been picked by the pacers. It is also important to note that 21 wickets out of the total 30 fell to straight deliveries rather than the turning ones. 

Veterans divided over pitch controversy

Veterans of the game have been divided over the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium. While Michael Vaughan, Andrew Strauss, and Alastair Cook have been strong critiques of the pitch, Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, and Geoffrey Boycott have maintained that the pitch had very little to and it was due to the 'horrendous' batting show by both the teams that resulted in a low-scoring game. Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin - one of India's webmasters at the Motera - smashed critics complaining of pitches and stated that talks over the surface are 'getting out of hand'.

READ | Ashwin Clean Bowls Pitch Critics, Calls For Talk Over Quality Of Play Rather Than Wickets

Ashwin smashes critics

The Chennai-lad reiterated that instead of talking about the pitch, there should be scrutiny over the quality of play after England's embarrassing 10-wicket defeat on Thursday in the third Test. Addressing a press briefing on Saturday, Ashwin said, "I think I have said that in the past as well, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am not here to say that your opinion is right and it is wrong. The fact remains that the talk about the surface is getting out of hand. Why should you talk about the surface and sell that to us time and again? Is there any instance where the pitch has been talked about this much when we have played games in other countries."

Now, with the growing noise over the turning pitches and demands of deduction of India's WTC points, a BCCI official in the know of the developments has said that the pitch for the fourth Test can be expected to be a 'batting beauty'. With Indian being 2-1 up in the four-match Test series and midway to the final of the World Test Championship, the hosts have allegedly ruled out the possibility of having another rank turner pitch to avoid any ICC sanction. 

READ | BCCI Provides Insight Into 4th Test Pitch, Affirms England Has Not Lodged Any Complaint