India vs England: British media start blame game, call Ahmedabad loss 'Most Humiliating'

Virat Kohli & co. defeated England by 10 wickets on the back of some superlative bowling performances from R Ashwin and Axar Patel. The latter of the two even won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his 11-wicket match haul. Apparently, the pitch used at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the pink-ball contest turned out to be a spin-friendly one, with spinners from both sides picking up 28 out of the 30 wickets to fall on both days of the Test match.

India vs England 3rd Test: Axar Patel takes 5-32 in England’s second innings — watch video

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England players panned for poor show, pitch questioned for two-day Test by British media

The British media came down heavily on Joe Root & co. for their disastrous performance against India in the third Test that ended within two days. Wisden wrote that English cricket has never been made to look this poor in their rich Test cricketing history before. Additionally, The Sun criticised the England team management for their constant rotation policy and resting of key players.

However, not every British media company shared the same thought. Many media houses pinned the blame squarely on the pitch alone, describing the two-day Test track as a bad advert for the purest form of the sport. The Telegraph wrote that the hosts should be “docked World Test Championship points” for preparing a sub-standard track. Moreover, The Mirror questioned India’s sportsmanship and described the pitch as not fit for a five-day match.

Also Read | Virat Kohli Credits Team India's On-field Brilliance Post 10-wicket Win In Ahmedabad Test

Michael Vaughan tweets on India vs England’s Ahmedabad pitch

Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the Ahmedabad pitch used for the recently-concluded Test. On Day 2, when spinners from both sides wreaked havoc on the turning 22-yard strip, the cricketer-turned-commentator took to Twitter and described it as an “awful pitch for Test cricket”. Here is a look at the entire Michael Vaughan tweet during Day 2 of the Test match.

Joe Root bowling performance

English skipper Joe Root’s bowling spell on Day 2 turned out to be one of the highlights of the gripping Test match. He rolled his arm over during India’s first innings, thus instigating a great Indian collapse as they were bundled out for just 145. He bowled 6.2 overs and dismissed the likes of Rishabh Pant and R Ashwin in his maiden five-wicket haul.

Joe Root bowling figures in India’s first innings

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R Ashwin Test wickets

During the course of the match, veteran Indian off-spinner R Ashwin also achieved a major landmark in Test cricket. He became the second-fastest bowler in Test history to get to 400 wickets behind Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan. As of now, the R Ashwin Test wickets tally composes of 401 wickets in 77 matches at an impressive average of 24.95.

R Ashwin speaks after historic accomplishment: watch video

Also Read | India Vs England: Shane Warne Surprised To See 'lack Of Aggression' From Team India

Image source: ECB Twitter