'Never seen that sort of spin before' - Heather Knight after record Test defeat against India

Heather Knight, England captain, cited that the conditions at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai as "extreme" after her side's whopping 347-run defeat in the one-off Test. The 32-year-old went on to say that she "would be surprised" if they will have to play in the same conditions in the T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh and the ODI World Cup 2025 in India. She also stated that if her side can improve their spin it will make a bigger change for her side in the future.

"These conditions were really extreme; we have never seen that sort of spin before, that sort of dryness in the pitch. In the main formats we play - T20 and 50 overs - we are not going to get as much [turn] as that," Knight said after England's loss.

"Previously our issues against spin have been more [around] the ball not spinning. You'd look at the wickets Ash Gardner took in the Ashes, there weren't many that spun. My dismissal that spun but a lot was outside edge and balls that didn't spin.

"These conditions were extreme, and I'd be surprised if we face those again unless we play another Test in India in the near future, which I am not sure is in the plan. We want to get better in conditions we might face in Bangladesh. Spin does dominate in the women's game, and if we can improve that it will give us a big advantage," the 32-year-old added.

The pitch probably deteriorated a bit faster than we expected: Heather Knight

Knight further stated that the pitch deteriorated faster than they anticipated. India posted 428 in the first innings after winning the toss and opting to bat first. They then put England 28/7 with offspinner Deepti Sharma picking up 5 for 7 in just 5.3 overs. India declared at 186 in the second innings while England were bowled out for 136 and 131.

"[The pitch] probably deteriorated a bit faster than we expected. [It was] reasonably good in the first innings to bat on. The spin was quite extreme. We bowled pretty well on the first day with two wickets. A few nicks that did not carry, that can be soul-destroying for some of those fast bowlers when your best ball doesn't carry to slips. 

"We identified that the wobble ball was really effective and tried to get as much out of that as we can. It seamed a little bit more because the pitch deteriorated and when it spins it does seam a little bit as well," the England captain further said.