'The talk about the surface is getting out of hand' - Ravi Ashwin comes down hard on critics of Ahmedabad pitch

Ravi Ashwin made life miserable for the England batsmen in the third Test at Ahmedabad. The Tamil Nadu off spinner scalped 7 wickets in the pink ball Test match as England was steam rolled by 10 wickets inside 2 days.

The pitch used at Ahmedabad has grabbed plenty of attention, and several former cricketers have expressed their views on it. And now, Ravichandran Ashwin has come down strongly on those people who have criticized the pitch.

Ashwin stated that everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and added that he will not be commenting on whether someone’s opinion is correct or not. But then, Ashwin added that the talk about the pitch was getting out of hand, and he also questioned whether the pitch hogged the limelight when the Indian side played in other countries. This is what Ashwin had to say in a virtual press conference.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am not here to say that your opinion is right or wrong. But the talk about the surface is getting out of hand. Is there any instance where the pitch has been talked about this much when we have played in other countries?” questioned the spinner.

This is how we have been taught to play our cricket says Ravi Ashwin

The off spinner also stated that the Indian side went to New Zealand last year, where the duration of both the Test matches put together was just 5 days. He also revealed that there was a video in which Indian skipper Virat Kohli has said that the Indian side will not comment on the pitch. Ashwin out rightly stated that this was the way the Indian side has been taught to play.

“We have been to New Zealand, where both the Tests got over in a total of 5 days. There is a video doing the rounds where Virat Kohli is talking in South Africa and he says I am not here to talk about the pitch. That is how we have been taught to play cricket,” stated the Tamil Nadu spinner.

The 34-year-old also asked how should a ‘good’ surface be defined. He stated that the batsmen need to bat well and score runs, and the bowlers win the game. He concluded by questioning as to who makes the rules that define what a good surface should be.

“The bowler wins the game, the batsmen need to bat well to score runs. Who defines what a good surface is? Seam on the first day, then bat well in the next couple of days and spin on the last two days, who makes these rules?” concluded the ace spinner.