Published 17:25 IST, February 28th 2021
Monty Panesar unimpressed with Ahmedabad pitch after D/N Test ends in two days
Monty Panesar has said that the pitch at Ahmedabad was like club cricket after the high-octane D/N Test between India & England ended within three days
Former English spinner Monty Panesar has come forward and criticised the Ahmedabad pitch after the third Test between India and England that was played under lights ended inside two days as spinners from both teams especially India made merry on a rank-turner.
Meanwhile, Panesar has also not hesitated from making it clear that according to him, the wicket at the newly-renovated Narendra Modi Stadium was like the one that is prepared for playing club cricket in England on a Saturday.
'It was like playing club cricket': Monty Panesar
"It was like playing club cricket on a Saturday in England. When we play club cricket, we will bowl a team out for under 100, and then it's difficult to chase because it's a turning pitch," said Monty Panesar while speaking to news agency ANI.
"I think being the biggest stadium in the world, Narendra Modi Stadium deserves longer Test matches because people want to see how good the wicket is, you look at the stadium, beautiful views, and what an amazing stadium India has produced," he added.
"It does not deserve a two-day Test match that's under 900 balls, you might just play on a park, if you are going to play this type of cricket," the former England frontline spinner further added.
An anti-climax to the high-voltage pink-ball Test
Team India survived the demons on the pitch in their second innings on Day 2 with a comprehensive win in the third Test match to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
Chasing a paltry total of 49, the Indian batsmen never looked uncomfortable as they made easy work of this small run chase as openers Rohit Sharma, and, Shubman Gill counter-attacked the English spinners with their aggressive batting display as the hosts comfortably got past the finish line by 10 wickets.
By the virtue of this win, India also registered their second victory in a Day-Night Test match. Prior to this contest, they had won their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata in November 2019 and suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia at the Adelaide Oval in December 2020 where the Indian team also ended up registering their lowest-ever Test score of 36.
Updated 17:25 IST, February 28th 2021