Nasser Hussain said that the Ahmedabad pitch in the 3rd Test was tougher than the one in Chennai but criticized England’s batsmen for their lacklustre approach, stating they looked like ‘startled rabbits’.
The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad has come under intense scrutiny after India registered a thumping ten-wicket win over England within two days in the third Test of the four-match series.
Nasser Hussain: England Looked Like Startled Rabbits In The 2nd Innings Of 3rd Test As Most Batsmen Were Dismissed With Balls That Didn’t Spin
The spin-friendly nature of the track saw India wrap up the match within two days, with even England skipper Joe Root – a part-time off-spinner at best – taking figures of 5-8 in the first innings. As a result, there has been plenty of criticism over the state of the pitch from former cricketers, who have argued that a pitch that offers this much assistance to bowlers isn’t conducive to good Test match cricket.
“England looked like startled rabbits in that second innings. I don’t think it was an 81 all out pitch but this was a much tougher pitch than Chennai,” Nasser Hussain said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“Especially on this pitch, where one spins prodigiously and the other skids on, you lose all kind of rhythm. That’s what successive Test matches on these sorts of pitches do for your mindset,” Nasser Hussain added.
“You could also argue that it was that pitch before in Chennai when everything spun big but it was also the ball that spun big on Zak Crawley on day one here. Every England batsman thought ‘I have to go for the spin’ but most got done with the one that didn’t spin.”
England was skittled out for 112 in their first innings on a track assisting spinners at the world’s largest cricket stadium. Even Indian batsmen struggled against part-time spinner Joe Root and Jack Leach on the 2nd day with the hosts collapsing from a strong commendable position of 99 for 3 to 145 in the first session mainly due to the England captain’s maiden five-wicket haul.
England then was dismissed after scoring only 81 in their second innings, lasting just 30.4 overs with all 10 batsmen falling to spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel. Rohit Sharma (25*) and Shubman Gill (15*) knocked off the required 49-run target in just 7.4 overs to win the match for India.
Nasser Hussain: England Have To Find A Way And Zak Crawley’s 1st Innings 50 Was Positive And One Of The Best From A Youngster
Nasser Hussain also added that getting a result in the final Test will depend on the mentality of the England players, citing Zak Crawley’s half-century in the first innings as the template for them to follow.
“It is all about the mentality of that side now and to be fair to them a lot of the chat about the pitches and umpires has come from outside the dressing room. I have not heard a single England player say these conditions are unfair,” said Hussain.
“They have to find a way and Zak Crawley’s first-innings fifty was positive. I know some of it was before spin came on. but it was one of the best half-centuries I have seen from a young England player – the rhythm, the fluency. If Zak can do it after a couple of games out injured, then Ollie Pope can do it, Jonny Bairstow can do it.”
Zak Crawley scored 53 in the 1st innings but England managed only 112 after missing the first 2 Tests with an injury. Man of Match Axar Patel took 11 wickets in both innings combined as he is on a dream run taking 18 wickets in his first two Tests averaging a meagre 9.44. Ravichandran Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets in 3 Tests while Jack Leach is 3rd on the list with 16 scalps. The final Test takes place at the same venue from March 4.
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