AHMEDABAD: Amid the debates over the nature of the pitch that was prepared for the pink-ball Test, England spinner Jack Leach asserted that he would have liked the third Test against India to go longer than two days.
The third Test match got over within two days after the visitors crumbled in front of the India spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel.
Leach said a Test match should last longer than two days but admitted that the hosts outplayed England on Ahmedabad wicket.
“I think that is right. One thing I will say as a cricket fan if I was watching a Test match, I would want it to go longer than two days, that is my only kind of viewing being a cricket fan…. Test match should go on longer than two days, whether that is to the pitch or skill, for me, I am fully concentrating how can I best do on every wicket I play on,” said Leach in a virtual press conference on Monday.
“They outbowled us on that wicket, Ashwin is a world-class bowler, Axar was very good on that wicket. All the talk has been in the media, in the dressing room, we just talk about getting better,” he added.
Though the hosts registered a comprehensive ten-wicket win, the match saw both India and England batsmen failing to shine and getting out to balls that did not turn and skidded through from the spinners.
England’s defeat in the pink-ball Test inside two days might have raised questions on the quality of the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium by former cricketers but Leach credited India spinners for outplaying the visiting side.
“I do not have too much to say about the pitch, we got outplayed in those conditions and for me, I am always looking to learn. That’s the great thing about our group, we are all in this mindset and we want to learn from what has been a couple of hard games and put in a good performance so yeah, it was tough, even being a spinner on that wicket comes with tough moments,” said Leach.
“Their spinners bowled really well, I do not think we should take anything away from them by saying bad things about the wicket, they played well and we need to learn from that,” he added.
Leach is now focusing on honing his skills and is not getting distracted by debates surrounding the pitch.
“I do not have any issues with the pitch from a playing point of view, I just want to make an impact in the game as much as possible,” said Leach
“There is a lot of talk on the outside and I am not wanting to get involved in that, that is a distraction to me, all I want to focus is on being the best I can be in any game I play for Somerset or England,” he added.
If India manages to win or draw the final Test against England, then the side would qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) and the side would take on New Zealand in the summit clash. England is now out of the WTC final contention after losing the third Test against India.