Even as debates rage on over correct cricket pitches and the disadvantages of the pink ball, an undeniable aspect of the second and third T...
Even as debates rage on over correct cricket pitches and the disadvantages of the pink ball, an undeniable aspect of the second and third Test between India and England was the batsmen’s ineptitude against the turning ball.
After the third Test in Ahmedabad, India captain Virat Kohli had no hesitation in admitting that both the teams had batted poorly. And that struggle, of course, was against spin bowling as Axar Patel, Ashwin Ravichandran, Jack Leach and Joe Root accounted for 28 of the 30 wickets that fell in the match.
For England, especially, surviving on the spinner-friendly pitches, that India were quick to turn to after their defeat in the series opener, has been an impossible challenge over the past two Tests, in which they lost 40 wickets for a total of 491 runs. While the hosts have managed to find enough run-scorers to edge ahead in the series, the visitors have had just one half-centurion in their last four innings.
What would worry England the most is that despite all the puffs of dust and expert opinion on the quality of the pitches, the fact remains that most of their dismissals have been to deliveries that didn’t get any extra assistance from the surface. It has simply...
