Advertisement

Updated March 1st, 2021 at 22:10 IST

VVS Laxman says players from both teams lacked application & technique in third Test

VVS Laxman has said that the players of both teams will be disappointed with their poor technique against the turning ball in the pink-ball Test last week

Reported by: Karthik Nair
VVS Laxman
| Image:self
Advertisement

Former Indian Test specialist VVS Laxman has said that the players of both India and England will be disappointed with the technique they showed against the turning ball in the third Test match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last week.

The third Test match that was played under lights ended within two days as spinners wracked havoc on a raging turner by picking up 28 out of 30 wickets in three innings. However, what really stood out here was that English Test skipper Joe Root ran through Team India's famed batting order by his part-time off-spin as he registered his career-best figures in the longest format of the game (5/8).

'The players will be disappointed': VVS Laxman

“Definitely the pitch was a very challenging one but also the application and the technique was tested as far as the batsmen are concerned. You get challenging wickets when you are playing international cricket,” said Laxman while speaking on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected.

“Sometimes when you go to Australia, you get a lot of cracks on the surface. When you go to England, you get seaming tracks, and when you come to India or play in the subcontinent. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, or India. You expect turners. So I think that’s when the players will be disappointed that the technique they showed against the turning ball or the application they showed to grind through the tough period was definitely not there,” the middle-order batsman added.

READ: After Poor Performance Against India, ECB Names Marcus Trescothick As Batting Coach

An anti-climax to the high-voltage pink-ball Test

Team India survived the demons on the pitch in their second innings on Day 2 with a comprehensive win in the third Test match to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.

Chasing a paltry total of 49, the Indian batsmen never looked uncomfortable as they made easy work of this small run chase as openers Rohit Sharma, and, Shubman Gill counter-attacked the English spinners with their aggressive batting display as the hosts comfortably got past the finish line by 10 wickets. 

READ: Waugh Hails Kohli For Instilling 'anything Is Achievable & Possible' Attitude In Team

By the virtue of this win, India also registered their second victory in a Day-Night Test match. Prior to this contest, they had won their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata in November 2019 and suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia at the Adelaide Oval in December 2020 where the Indian team also ended up registering their lowest-ever Test score of 36. 

READ: Fans Lend Full Support To Viv Richards As He Slams England's Inability To Play Spin

Advertisement

Published March 1st, 2021 at 22:10 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo