"India ultimately played better than us on that surface" - England team coach Chris Silverwood
The England team's head coach Chris Silverwood has admitted that, even though the conditions in the third Test were tough for the batsmen, Team India outplayed the visitors. However, Silverwood also added that the English players expected the wicket to hold up for a little longer.
The England team played the first international match at the world's largest stadium against India this week. The Test was scheduled to take place from February 24th to February 28th. However, thanks to some incredible spin-bowling performances in Ahmedabad, the Test ended within just two days.
Reacting to the England's team defeat in a virtual press conference, coach Chris Silverwood said:
"First and foremost, just to follow up from what Joe (Root) said yesterday, he got five for 8. But at the same time, whatever the pitch did or didn't do, India ultimately played better than us on that surface. They probably pushed us to extremes, which our players haven't experienced before. We did expect the wicket to hold up a little longer than it did."
The England team won the toss and elected to bat first at the newly rebuilt Narendra Modi Stadium. However, they could manage only 112 runs in their first innings.
Team India took a 33-run first-innings lead before bowling the England team out for 81 runs in the second innings. Eventually, Team India received a 49-run target, which Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill chased down inside eight overs. The spin bowlers accounted for 28 out of the 30 wickets that fell in Ahmedabad.
The England team expected the pacers to play a role in the pink-ball Test match: Chris Silverwood
While the conditions in Ahmedabad assisted the spinners, the England team went into the Test with four pace-bowling options. Along with James Anderson, Jofra Archer, and Stuart Broad, they also had Ben Stokes in the side.
Coach Chris Silverwood stated in his post-match conference that the visitors expected the pacers to dominate the proceedings in the day/night Test.
"With experience we had, and having two of our bowlers in the top 10 in the rankings, we felt with this pink ball, it would have been an opportunity for seamers to make an impact for us," said Chris Silverwood.
Silverwood signed off by saying that the England team would prefer playing on a flatter wicket in the final Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium.