Thread by @fwildecricket

The fact that the Ahmedabad Test was the shortest Test since WWII will inevitably provoke questions about the pitch & whether it was fit for purpose & its overall quality. This is understandable but there are a few important points to underline surrounding this debate. #INDvENG

As per the ICC's own guidelines on pitches. Was the Ahmedabad pitch unfit? No. Was it poor? Probably not. It took big spin but it rarely seemed "excessive" & there was no evidence of uneven bounce. #INDvENG

What was particularly interesting about this Test & pitch was that more than half the 28 spin wickets fell to balls that went straight on. The global average for 'small spin' wickets in Tests is one in four. This suggests no-spin balls played an unusually important role. #INDvENG

Of course, the big spin accentuated the threat of the balls that went straight on but after the game Root appeared to suggest he thought the extra lacquer on the pink ball assisted the ball skidding on & even quickening up off the surface. #INDvENG

This is very important because it suggests that the primary reason for the balls skidding on proving so difficult (which we can fairly say was the main reason for the exceptional nature of this Test) was not the pitch but the pink ball. #INDvENG

The extra lacquer was something that was particularly well exploited by Axar who—as @the_kk expertly observed on day one—bowled with a horizontal seam which increased the chance of skid off either side of the ball. #INDvENG es.pn/3ursCpr

And something that was even more dangerous due to the pace at which Axar bowled, as @benjonescricket wrote about on our own website on day one. #INDvENG bit.ly/3pSYBv5

In addition to this, the black seam on the pink ball is reportedly harder to pick up for the batsmen and as as result it can be harder to distinguish in which direction the seam is canted - which can provide precious clues as to whether the delivery is an arm ball. #INDvENG

Whether the spin on offer was excessive & therefore the pitch 'poor' remains open to interpretation but it's impossible to analyse the Test & pitch without paying due attention to the ball, which—we should underline—remains a huge unknown (16 Tests & 2 with the SG ball). #INDvENG