'Take the pitch out and blame the batsmen?': Alastair Cook questions Virat Kohli's stance on Ahmedabad pitch

Former England captain Alastair Cook does not agree with India captain Virat Kohli’s assessment of the Ahmedabad pitch for the third India vs England Test match that ended inside two days with India registering a resounding 10-wicket win to go 2-1 up in the four-match series. The result also ended England’s chances of making it to the World Test Championship final.

Virat Kohli said the poor application from batsmen of both the sides was the main reason behind the day-night pink-ball Test ending so quickly. The third Test at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad became the shortest Test match (in terms of balls bowled) since 1935.

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"[It was] a very good pitch to bat on - especially in the first innings - and it felt like the ball was coming on nicely with the odd-ball turning," Kohli said after India bowled England out for 81 – their lowest score against India – in the second innings and then chased down the 49-run target with 10 wickets in hand.

Alastair Cook, however questioned Kohli’s judgement and said it was ‘hard’ to bat on.

"Virat Kohli's come out and defended the wicket almost as if it's a BCCI thing - it cannot possibly be the wicket. Yet it was so hard to bat on that today. So hard.

"Take the wicket out and blame the batsmen? We've got Virat Kohli, Joe Root, we have some great players of spin. Yes, we've got some people who have got to learn to play spin better, but we have got great players of spin also struggling. To me It'd be great to have that game with the red ball to see the difference when the ball is skidding on. Today trying to play properly, it was nigh-on impossible," Cook told Channel 4 as per an ESPNCricinfo report.

Cook, who is England’s highest run-scorer in the longest format of the game and was the leader of the side which beat India 2-1 in 2011-12, said the Motera pitch spun more than any other pitch in India.

"We saw a stat that says this pitch has spun more than any other pitch in India," Cook said. "There's been so many other balls that have gone straight on as well. So that means when it is turning, it is turning miles. When you see the highlights and the ball skidding on you, we don't see the build-up: when the exact same ball is spinning miles," Cook added.