'I think Ashish Bhowmick is an outstanding groundsman, he knows his job'
There is no reason to cry over the nature of the Motera track, India Head coach Ravi Shastri asserted on Saturday, saying the curator prepared pitches that produced 'fantastic entertainment' in the last two matches in Ahmedabad.
The pitch for the third Test came in for sharp criticism from a few former England players after the visitors were bowled out for 112 and 81 in the day/night match.
While England struggled on the spin-friendly track, India claimed victories in the third and fourth Test here to qualify for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in June.
"Why should I hold back? I attribute it to the groundsman," Shastri said after India dismissed England for 135 to register an innings and 25 run win in the final Test in Ahmedabad.
"I think Ashish Bhowmick is an outstanding groundsman, he knows his job. He has learnt it the hard way. He worked with Daljit Singh, who was a master curator."
"Who will complain against a track like this? It is fantastic entertainment, for both teams and the game and the result 3-1 doesn't really suggest how close the series was."
Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer, on Saturday, took a jibe at England's batting line-up and hoped that the visitors would get a decent score in the second innings because there is nothing to complain about the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Many former England cricketers have been criticising the wickets being used in the four-match Test series as they are favouring more spin. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was quite vocal in his criticism of the pitches used in the series and went a step further and asked for the ICC to look into the wickets after the third game ended in two days.
Taking to Twitter, Jaffer wrote, "I hope England at least get a decent score in the second innings because this pitch is really difficult to complain about. #INDvsENG."
Taking to Instagram, Vaughan on Tuesday shared a picture of him standing in dug up soil with a bat in his hands. "Preparations going well for the 4th Test !! #OnOn #INDvENG," he wrote in the caption.
