Indian captain Virat Kohli came down hard on the pitch critics ahead of the fourth and final Test match against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
When asked about the criticism that the pitches in the last two Tests- especially the one in Ahmedabad- have garnered, Virat Kohli alluded to India’s tour of New Zealand last year where the visitors were knocked over inside three days in conditions loaded excessively in favor of the seamers.
Kohli said there were no discussions on the nature of pitches back then and part of the reason behind that is that the Indian team does not crib about the conditions they encounter; their sole focus is to getter better.
The Indian captain asserted that it was a poor execution of skills from the batting-units of both sides and not the pitch that led to a two-day finish in Ahmedabad.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan, who has been the torchbearer of the entire pitch critics cabal, expectedly wasn’t pleased with Virat Kohli’s comments.
Vaughan quote-tweeted a Times of India post regarding Kohli’s statement on criticism surrounding the pitch and proceeded to remind the Indian captain for his comments on the first Test pitch which England won by 227 runs.
“Pretty sure the Groundsman was sacked after the 1st Test because the pitch was too flat!!!!! Isn’t that cribbing about a pitch?? #JustAsking?,” Vaughan wrote on Twitter..
Pretty sure if my memory serves me correct that the Groundsman in Chennai after the 1st Test was sacked for producing a pitch too flat … Pretty sure I heard a few complaints about the Ball after the 1st Test … #JustSaying #OnOn #INDvENG
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 3, 2021
Notably, the first Test pitch had come under the scanner for being too flat during the first couple of days as England batsmen piled on the agony on the Indians to set-up a memorable 227-run win.