After completing a comprehensive 10-wicket win over England in the pink-ball Test, which completed inside two days, India skipper Virat Kohli defended the pitch and asserted that it was below par batting from both the sides, which led to the contest getting over in such a short time.
“To be honest, I don’t think the quality of batting was up to standards. We were 100 for 3 and bowled out for less than 150. It was just that the odd ball turning, and it was a good wicket to bat in the first innings,” Kohli said during the post-match ceremony of the third Test. Â
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However, Kohli’s comments didn’t go well former England skipper Alastair Cook as he took potshots at it. Questioning Kohli’s assessment, the former England cricketer in an interaction with Channel 4 said, “Virat Kohli came out and defended the wicket almost as if it’s a BCCI thing — it cannot possibly be the wicket. Yet it was so hard to bat on that. So hard.”  Â
“Take the wicket out and blame the batsmen?” Â
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“We’ve got Virat Kohli, Joe Root, we have some great players of spin. Yes, we’ve got some people who have got to learn to play spin better, but we have got great players of spin also struggling. Today trying to play properly, it was nigh-on impossible,” he added. Â
On a pitch, which heavily assisted the spinners, the Indian spin pair of Axar Patel and R Ashwin combined to pick 18 wickets and bundled out England for paltry 112 and 81 respectively. England skipper Joe Root also claimed his career-best figures with the ball and went on to complete his maiden five-wicket haul in the longer format of the game. Â
