"Both set of batsmen should have applied themselves better" - Deep Dasgupta defends Ahmedabad pitch

Deep Dasgupta has defended the pitch for the pink-ball Test between India and England at Ahmedabad. According to Dasgupta, both teams' batsmen should have played with a better technique against spin at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

India trounced England by ten wickets inside two days at Ahmedabad. Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 18 out of the 20 English wickets that fell in the pink-ball game. Besides, Joe Root and Jack Leach accounted for nine out of the ten Indian wickets.

Many English cricket experts have questioned the pitch in Ahmedabad after the visitors suffered a heavy defeat. But Deep Dasgupta had a different viewpoint on this matter.

"This might not be a 350-400 run pitch but it surely wasn't a 200-250-run pitch. What was disappointing for me was, the scores were also a reflection of your batting skills against a turning pitch, whether it was the Indian batsmen or English batsmen. Both set of batsmen should have applied themselves better on a pitch like that," Deep Dasgupta told Sports Today.

Although the spinners achieved much success at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the pitch was not a rank turner. The pink ball skid off the surface, which limited the batsmen's strokes. Rohit Sharma and Zak Crawley registered half-centuries, proving that the wicket was not so bad for batting.

Can England make a comeback in the next Test in Ahmedabad?

Stuart Broad could not take a single wicket in the pink-ball match (Image Courtesy: BCCI)

India took an unassailable lead of 2-1 in this 4-Test series against England after winning the pink-ball game. Both teams will rest for a week now before they square off at the same venue in the fourth Test match.

England's hopes of qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship Final ended with the defeat in Ahmedabad. But the visitors have an opportunity of leveling the series and spoiling India's party by winning the last Test.

If England beat India in Ahmedabad, Australia will go through to the final. However, looking at the English team's performance in the third Test, it seems highly unlikely that the visitors will be able to stop Virat Kohli's men. The fourth India vs England Test will begin on March 4.