India vs England 3rd Test was under the scanner for the pitch that was used in Ahmedabad. All four innings of the match were over in a span of two days after which, the cricket world got engaged in a discussion if the wicket used was a genuine Test match wicket or not. Some English players were against preparing such pitches while others felt that the onus lies on the England batsmen who got out insignificantly. Meanwhile, Monty Panesar has opened up about his views on the topic to the news agency ANI.
In the interaction with ANI, Panesar said that the ICC wouldn’t take any action right away but feels that they should if a similar thing is repeated again. "I think if the next Test match is the same, then yes, the ICC should dock points. Everyone is delighted that cricket has now got the biggest stadium in the world now. At least the curator should have produced a good wicket, even if it's a turning wicket, everyone was complaining about Chennai, this was even worse," Monty Panesar said.
Replying to some critics who said that the English batsmen couldn’t play spin well, Monty cited a few examples of the past to counter. He said: “The Indian people are saying England batsmen cannot play spin very well, if you take that into account, Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen have scored runs here, Cook has got a record as good as Matthew Hayden in India. Pietersen did score quickly, do England have that? No, they do not."
Further, he gave benefit of the doubt to the Indians as the match was played with a pink ball and that ball speeds up after pitching even if bowled slower in the air.
Nonetheless, this discussion doesn’t seem to find an end. The fourth Test will make things clear if it was a one-off instance or it is going to be a regular practice to produce such turning wickets. The fourth Test between India and England will be played on 4 March 2021 at 9:30 am IST from the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.