While the pitch in Ranchi left Hardik Pandya "surprised", the India captain was "shocked" by what was on offer in Lucknow. And when the talk is largely about the playing surface ahead of a series decider, especially with India's proud record of 12 undefeated home series on the line, something's got to give.
Ahmedabad, the venue for the third and final T20I between India and New Zealand, has had its fair share of debate around pitches in the past. And the last thing both teams would want is another tricky T20 surface that sees Lockie Ferguson bowl as many overs as Mark Chapman; or Deepak Hooda twice as many as Yuzvendra Chahal.
Pitch aside, India will know that there's work to be done, especially with a young side that's trying to ready itself for 2024. After a breezy ODI whitewash, the T20I rubber hasn't been as easy for the hosts. While the death bowling cost them in Ranchi, their batting was under the scanner two days later; India got past a target of 100 with only a ball to spare. But the challenging conditions stole the thunder away, hardly allowing the team to assess their progress. For example, Arshdeep Singh bowled the 20th over again after copping some heat in the first T20I, but that he was up against a team limping at 94/8 hardly lent credibility to his five-run last over.
Source: https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/125352/series-reaches-fever-pitch-with-a-decider-in-ahmedabad
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