Thirteen wickets fell on the opening day of the pink ball Test. And barring two that went to pacers, all the other 28 wickets went to the spinners in a low-scoring affair.
A general view of the newly named Narendra Modi Stadium on the first day of the 3rd cricket test match between India and England, in Ahmedabad. Pic/PTI
With 17 wickets falling in two sessions on Thursday, Day Two of the third Test played under lights, the focus naturally shifted to the 22-yard strip at the world’s largest stadium.
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Thirteen wickets fell on the opening day of the pink ball Test. And barring two that went to pacers, all the other 28 wickets went to the spinners in a low-scoring affair.
The concern was evident on the faces of some Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) officials and some bigwigs of the BCCI as the spinners made the batsmen dance to their tune.
Although the pitch was expected to turn, a two-day finish to the Test was unexpected.
A couple of rounds were made by top GCA officials to the commentary area to take feedback from experts about the pitch. It is learnt that the main query was about whether the pitch was bad and not as per international standards.
Sources said commentators provided positive feedback to the officials and this came as a relief to the officials.
GCA joint secretary Anil Patel, also a former Team India manager, dismissed concerns of the pitch. “We are not worried about the pitch at all. It is a proper wicket. Batsmen played for the turn while it was about applying themselves better,” said Patel, also a former first-class player.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled the pitch “sh*t” on Twitter before shooting off another tweet soon after: “Entertaining... YES...but this is a awful pitch for Test cricket!!! Complete lottery on Day 2.
“If we are going to see these pitches...I have an answer to how it could work...Give the Teams 3 innings,” read yet another tweet from the former England batsman, who played 82 Tests.
It may be recalled that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had threatened to withdraw Wankhede Stadium’s Test status after the 2004 India v Australia match got over on the morning of the third day.
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