Michael Vaughan
The debate over the Motera pitch has intensified following India's two-day finish in the third Test against England. The spin duo of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin orchestrated India's emphatic win in Ahmedabad as the England side folded for 81 in its second innings.
The last time India won inside two days in a Test was in 2018, beating Afghanistan in Bengaluru. England's previous Test loss inside two days came back in 1921 against Australia.
The wicket at Motera came under scrutiny after England managed to notch up just 112 and 81 in the two innings. While some former cricketers including Sunil Gavaskar defended the surface, many players including ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan blasted the quality of the pitch.
Vaughan even questioned the ICC for allowing India to get away with such surfaces on offer. He even termed it as a 'shallow' victory for India.
"The longer powerful countries like India are allowed to get away with it the more toothless the ICC will look," Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
"The governing body are allowing India to produce whatever they wish and it is Test cricket that is getting hurt. India won the third Test but it was a shallow victory. In fact, there was no winner from that game at all," he wrote while expressing his displeasure with the BCCI.
Vaughan continued to question the wicket's quality as he shared a hilarious picture on Saturday, poking fun at the pitch preparation ahead of the fourth Test. "I can report that preparations for the 4th Test are going great ... The Curator is expecting movement early, good carry & might spin on day 5 !!!" he wrote.
The fourth and final Test between India and England is scheduled to start from March 4 in Ahmedabad. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who bowled just six overs in the third Test, has been released from India's squad because of 'personal reasons'.
