Llyod-Pitch

Picture Credit: Twitter

India may be winning against England on the field, but have certainly ignited fans and critics off the field. The latest addition in the list of pitch criticizers is former England cricketer - David Lloyd. Apparently, England's defeat in the third Test match at Ahmedabad has not gone well with the veteran. Following the disappointing loss, Lloyd responded furiously and even questioned ICC regarding the surface at Narendra Modi Stadium.

Lloyd lashes out after India beat England in the third Test

Taking the criticism to global level, Lloyd mentioned in his column how the match was at best a 'lottery contest'. Quoting the former English cricketer's words -

"I'm really not bothered who wins when it's a lottery like this. It's just not a contest. Yes, techniques have been poor but if this pitch is acceptable to the ICC and there's more of this there will be huge ramifications for world Test cricket."

So, to believe Lloyd's words, the hosts are getting special advantages and ICC should take action on it. However, it should be noted that Indian cricketers and several legends from the game have already stated the otherwise. To name a few, Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon, and former English cricketer Kevin Pieterson presented compelling arguments, bursting the 'advantage' myth.

The views come out to be even more appalling considering how the match went. The visitors had won the toss and opted to bat first, but failed to capitalize on it. Indian bowling unit bundled their innings at 112, thanks to Axar Patel's 6-wicket haul and Ravichandran Ashwin's 3 wickets. The visitors also got the advantage of turning pitch during their bowling as skipper Joe Root and spinner Jack Leach bagged a total of 9 wickets, ending Indian innings at 145. However, English batsmen fell for the spin trap even in their second innings. The whole team was back to pavilion after a total of just 81 as Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin dominated again. India then went on to cover the meager total of 49 on the second day itself, sealing the win.

Considering the lash out it will be exciting to see what drama is to follow after the fourth Test match, which will be played on the same pitch from March 4-8.