'There seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning' - Viv Richards weighs in on Ahmedabad pitch debate

Former West Indies captain Viv Richards has delivered his opinion on the ongoing debate over the pitch used for the third Test between India and England in Ahmedabad. The penultimate game of the ongoing series was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a venue that was hosting an international match for the first time since 2014.

The venue started its new journey by witnessing a thumping win for India but the pitch used for the game has come under a lot of fire after the Test ended within two days. England’s batsmen failed to get going in both the innings as India thrashed them by ten wickets to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series.

A total of only 842 balls were bowled while 30 wickets fell in just over a day and a half in the first-ever pink-ball Test between India and England. The match was the shortest completed Test since 1935. The Joe Root-led side was all out for just 112 in the first innings but clawed their way back by bowling out India for just 145.

They, however, failed to capitalize on the momentum and came up with a horrific batting display in the second innings. England were all out for just 81, their lowest-ever total against India before the hosts chased down the required 49 runs without losing any wicket.

When ball seams and swings, everyone thinks it is batsmen’s problem, says Viv

With the debate surrounding the pitch showing absolutely no signs of coming to an end, Viv Richards has opined that people have got to stop cribbing about the nature of the surface. The legendary batsman also pointed out that playing in India has always been about tackling spin.

Criticizing England’s strategy, Richards further said that had the tourists done their homework ahead of the tour – they would have been better prepared about playing on such tracks. “I’ve been asked questions recently about the Test match that was played in India… the second and third Test match against England.

“And I am a little confused about the question really because there seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning about the wicket that they were playing on. I just felt that the ones who are moaning, in my opinion, should realize that there are times that you’re going to get a seaming track, a ball that is basically jumping off a good length and everyone thinks that’s a problem for batters. There are times batters sometimes cope with that,” Richards said in a video posted on his Facebook page.