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Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Farokh Engineer has expressed disappointment at the surface prepared for the pink-ball Test between India and England in Ahmedabad.
The third Test of the series - played at the rebuilt and renamed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad - lasted less than two full days.
While Farokh Engineer praised India for their terrific performance, which resulted in a 10-wicket triumph, he wasn’t too pleased with the surface on offer in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Indranil Basu in an SK Live session on Facebook, he said:
“If a match finishes in under two days… Very rarely you come across such Test matches. Wickets have crumbled on the third, fourth, and fifth day. What a magnificent stadium we’ve got. The Narendra Modi stadium. Beautiful stadium. Why couldn’t we prepare a better wicket? Let the wicket spin. Every team has the home advantage. They (England) have got very good spinners as well. It’s a shame to finish a Test match in just over a day and a half. It’s not on.”
Praising the Indian team’s performance in Ahmedabad, Farokh Engineer singled out Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel for their brilliant performances. He stated:
“As a proud Indian, I feel elated that we have won. I expect us to win in India. But this is an annihilation. I don’t know what to say, really. Congratulations to our boys, they have thoroughly deserved it. (Ravichandran) Ashwin was fantastic. To get 400 wickets in 70-odd Test matches, that’s an incredible achievement. And, Axar Patel, when he got his chance… He was always behind Ravindra Jadeja. I am sure had he played, he would have been fantastic too.”
We don’t need to doctor our wickets: Farokh Engineer on Ahmedabad pitch
Shifting focus back to the Ahmedabad surface, the 83-year-old claimed that India have the capabilities to win matches without preparing such surfaces. According to Farokh Engineer, India could have won fair and square on a sporting pitch that brought everyone into the game. He explained:
“There should be equal opportunities for quick bowlers, for spinners. On the first morning, you expect the ball to turn because of the moisture on the wicket. But then, you don’t expect it to crumble. You don’t expect puffs of dust to come out from Day 1. That is not Test cricket at its best. We want to beat them fair and square. And we are capable of that. If they have got quick bowlers, we have got Jasprit Bumrah and Ishant Sharma. Siraj and Yadav in the reserves. We’ve got a terrific attack. We’ve also go terrific spinners in Axar and Ashwin. We don’t need to doctor our wickets.”
The former cricketer also blamed the batsmen from both sides for putting up an under-par show. He explained:
“Most wickets fell to straight balls. If one balls starts turning, it is in the batsman’s mind that every ball is turning. They were playing for turn and the ball was going through the gate. So the teams also batted badly.”
With India having taken a significant 2-1 lead, the teams will now prepare for the fourth and final Test to be held in Ahmedabad from March 4.
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