"I hope all those whiners about Indian pitches are happy now"- Ravi Shastri, Mark Waugh and other ex-cricketers comment on '22-day' Ahmedabad pitch
The pitch for the final Test of the series between India and Australia in Ahmedabad has sparked a massive debate in the cricketing world. After three consecutive Test matches ending within three days, the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy lasted for full five days at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Unlike Nagpur, Delhi, and Indore, the pitch in Ahmedabad did not provide any assistance for the spin bowlers. The pitch didn't help the pacers much as well, as the batters of the two teams scored heaps of runs. Only 22 wickets fell in the match, with the bowlers toiling for more than 400 overs.
Four batters registered a century in the match, with two crossing the 150-run mark. Several former cricketers shared their views on the Ahmedabad pitch for the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Here's a compilation of opinions.
#1 "3-day Tests could also be because of incompetent batting"- Ravi Shastri
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri was on commentary during the fourth Test of the series. Speaking on Star Sports, Shastri asked the Australians in the commentary box if they were happy with the Ahmedabad pitch.
Here's what Shastri said:
“So what do you want, this kind of a pitch or the other pitches? You don’t want to finish in three days yes, totally agree, but that could also be because of incompetent batting. I hope all those whiners about Indian pitches are happy now.”
#2 "This is a 22-day pitch"- Mark Waugh's opinion on Ahmedabad pitch
Mark Waugh was unhappy with all the wickets offered for the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He labeled the pitches of Delhi, Nagpur and Indore as 'two-day pitches' and described the Ahmedabad pitch as a '22-day wicket'.
"The last three Tests were two-day pitches, but this is a 22-day pitch. It’s not good enough," Waugh said on Fox Sports.
The former Australian cricketer even took a dig at the Indian team management, saying that they knew they needed a draw to win the four-match series 2-1. The former Australian cricketer opined that India came to Ahmedabad for a draw only.
#3 "Pitch preparation isn’t perfect science"- Aakash Chopra talks about Ahmedabad pitch
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra also gave his opinion on the wicket at the Narendra Modi Stadium and wrote on Twitter that India might have prepared a batting-friendly pitch after an embarrassing loss in Indore.
He also pointed out how the pitch for the fourth Test was quite different from the other three.
"Pitch preparation isn’t perfect science but this pitch at Ahmedabad is a huge departure from the sort of pitches India wanted for the #BGT And the fact that it’s happened after what happened in Indore, there’s a strong reason to put 2 and 2 together," Chopra wrote.
#4 Dodda Ganesh predicts a 'poor' rating for the pitch in Ahmedabad
The wicket at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium received a 'poor' rating from the International Cricket Council after the third Test of the India vs Australia series.
According to former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh, even the pitch in Ahmedabad may receive a similar rating.
"What will be the rating for the #Ahmedabad pitch? This in my book, is also poor," Ganesh wrote on Twitter.
What will be the rating for the #Ahmedabad pitch? This in my book, is also poor #CricketTwitter #INDvAUS #DoddaMathu
#5 "There were no demons"- Wasim Jaffer gives a batter's perspective on Ahmedabad pitch
Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer considered the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium one of the best for batting. Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Jaffer commented:
"It's probably the best pitch from a batter's perspective. There were no demons."
The India vs Australia series came to a conclusion with the Ahmedabad Test. Both teams have qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and will meet at The Oval in June. It will be interesting to see which team emerges as the new WTC champion.