From the 20 England wickets, 19 fell to R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar combined at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Since batsmen from both India and England struggled on the spinning surface of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, it has been a topic of discussion. The venue which hosted the third Day/Night Test match saw England post totals of 112 and 81, while India were all out for 145 in their first innings.
From the 20 England wickets, 19 fell to R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar combined. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up 11 wickets in the match, while Ashwin had seven scalps.
The Indian team management and the authorities have been put under major scrutiny regarding the quality of the Test pitch and many former English players, including some veteran Indian stars, showed major concerns over the pitch.
However, this is not the first time when the cricket pitch in India has created a controversy. There have been many instances in the past when the groundsman failed to make the pitches according to the rules laid out by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
1. India vs Australia - Pune Test, 2017
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The 2017 four-match Test series between India and Australia at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune was marred with controversies.
The team officials in Pune had prepared possibly one of the worst home pitches. However, losing the toss cost Indian skipper Virat Kohli the game as the pitch did not provide any assistance to the batsmen.
The match had commenced with Australia racking up a score of 260 runs on the board and in reply, India were crushed out for a total of 105 runs. Spinner Steve O'Keefe made the most out of the pitch.
This was followed by the visiting nation scoring 285 runs in the third innings while India could manage only 107 runs and lost the game by 333 runs.
The pitch invited criticism from all across the globe and had also received a poor rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
2. India vs Australia - Mumbai Test, 2004
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During the 2004-05 Test series against Australia at home, the last Test of the four-match Border Gavaskar Trophy was at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After a rain-ruined first day, the Wankhede pitch started offering assistance for the bowlers. Batting first, India could muster just 104 runs while Australia were also bundled out for 203 runs. Anil Kumble and Murali Kartik picked up nine wickets between them.
The third innings saw India get back as they posted 205 runs on the board but Australia saved India from a whitewash after getting all-out for 93 with Harbhajan Singh taking as many as five wickets.
The comprehensive win saved India from losing three games in the series, however, Australia emerged victorious by 2-1.
However, the 93 all-out did not go down well with the Australian side as they showed major concern regarding the quality of the pitch. Forty wickets fell in just 202 overs on a track with uneven bounce. "This was nowhere near a Test wicket," Australia's then skipper Ricky Ponting had told reporters after the game.
3. India vs Sri Lanka - Indore ODI, 1997
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It was on December 25, 1997, when the second One Day International of the three-match series between India and Sri Lanka was called off due to an unsafe pitch.
It was the first-ever international game to be called off for such a reason at the Nehru Stadium in Indore. The groundsman Narendra Menon had produced a cracked and dry pitch for the game that could assist both the pace and spin attack.
India's Jagval Srinath had bowled the first over of the day but the pitch produced a significant bounce even at moderate bowling speed. The second over bowled by off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan saw variable bounce and after getting hit by the ball, the batsmen decided to complain to the umpires.
After a 1 hour long discussion between Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar, and the umpires, it resulted in the game getting abandoned due to an unsafe pitch.
However, the two teams decided to play a 25-over exhibition game as compensation for the spectators. While Sri Lanka posted 180/8 in the restricted 25 overs after batting first, India ended up with 178/7 in the chase falling three runs short of the target and lost the match.
4. India vs Sri Lanka - Kotla ODI, 2009
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The December 1997 incident was repeated in 2009 against the same opponent as the last One Day International of the five-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi was abandoned.
The match officials had said that the pitch was of "extremely variable bounce and too dangerous for further play".
The then India skipper MS Dhoni had won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat first. The first ball of the game saw Zaheer Khan scalping the wicket of opening batsman Upal Tharanga.
This was followed by a dropped catch on the first ball of the second over. Later on, the visiting side were subjected to blows on the elbow, shoulder, fingers, and thick edges flying past the third man.
By 23.3 overs, the Sri Lankan players walked out of the field. A long introspection among the officials and the players from both sides saw the authorities abandoning the One Day International.
5. India vs England - Motera Test, 2021
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The pink-ball Test between India and England created history with the hosts winning the game by a whopping 10 wickets and completig the game within just two days of play.
The short duration of the Test match and the humiliating defeat at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad saw many veteran England players slamming the authorities for preparing a 'poor pitch'.
The criticism of the Motera pitch became a focal point of discussion as the pitch started turning right from the outset. The pitch majorly assisted the spinners as Axar Patel ended up picking 11 wickets while part-time bowler Joe Root also took a five-wicket haul.
While the England players blamed the pitch for their loss, Indian skipper Virat Kohli and opening batsman Rohit Sharma defended the surface. Kohli backed his statement by arguing that 21 out of 30 wickets came from very straight deliveries.
R Ashwin too said that talks regarding the pitch are getting out of hand. "I think I have said that in the past as well, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am not here to say that your opinion is right and it is wrong. The fact remains that the talk about the surface is getting out of hand. Why would you talk about the surface and sell that to us time and time again? Is there any instance where the pitch has been talked about this much when we have played games in other countries?"
