There were no winners in Ahmedabad

I know what you're thinking. Another Englishman ranting about the state of the pitch after watching England lose the test against India inside two days. No-one needs it, save the sanctimony and move on. I can't say I won't mention the pitch at all, but there is a broader point that I think is being missed by some of the hysterical reaction to the brief day-night encounter: none of the stakeholders actually won.

Zak Crawley's stumps are left in tatters in the second innings- Image credit- BCCI

The pitch was by no means up to test match standard- you'd be hard pressed to find any cricket fan who thinks that it was a good representation of the longest format of the game. That said, I can't pretend that I didn't take a smidgen of pleasure from the absolute carnage, particularly from watching professional players look almost as helpless as I would with Axar and Ravi Ashwin churning out overs on a grassy pitch in rural Surrey. Cricket twitter went into an almost Headingley 2019-esque overload as fans, players and pundits alike tried to make any rhyme or reason out of what they were watching unfold.

The biggest issue from this game however is not to do with the pitch, but that the spectacle itself was ultimately a failure. The eyes of the cricketing world are on this series in a way that is not often the case. The abrupt cancellation of Australia's tour of South Africa brought a level of attention from all corners which could have made this series iconic, especially after England's shock victory in the first game.

After a fixture in any sport you can break down the participants into winners and losers, but in this case, I only see the latter.

Let's start with India. Yes, they won the test match in convincing fashion, and put themselves ahead in the four match series. The way Rohit Sharma nonchalantly slapped the ball over the fence to ice the game will of course bring up discussion about whether the pitch was overstated as a minefield, however the last thing the BCCI needed was more questions about the fairness of pitches. In the wake of the second Chennai test where they were in my opinion overly chastised for producing a turner, having a game done and dusted within 6 sessions is not a good look for the organisation.

Equally, this test was hardly a good learning experience for the young Indian stars. Gabba hero Washington Sundar bowled four deliveries with England nine down in the second innings, and faced a paltry 12 balls. Shubman Gill had very little chance to show off just how good he is and play the shots we already know he's capable of. The main beneficiary was left-armer Axar Patel, who bowled beautifully for his 11 wickets in the match- but even for him, the figures will always be caveated by this pitch (especially bearing in mind Joe Root managed to take five for eight). Would he have not been better served bowling on a more even track where he could showcase his remarkable skillset without circumstantial stipulations?

England's position as a loser is more obvious, even if the alarming manner of the defeat can be tempered by the farce of a pitch. The players themselves will take little solace from the excuses being made for them in the press, and much more importantly, will be devastated to lose out on so many days of cricket. They spent almost as long in transit from Chennai to Ahmedabad as they did actually on the pitch. Having sacrificed so much to be in India, I can only imagine the frustration of being back locked up in hotel rooms for an extra three days rather than playing cricket. Joe Root did an impressively restrained job of taking responsibility for the defeat, and avoided blaming the pitch or other factors. He even stood by the selection of just one frontline spinner as a minor "misread", which may call into question the ability of England team to assess pitches correctly- as good as Anderson and Broad are, it's hard to justify having both on the pitch with their hands on their hips as Root, who averages 42 with the ball, turned into prime Murali.

Equally, a game like that will only serve to shatter the perennially fragile confidence of the England batting line-up. While it's difficult to berate the players for getting out on a pitch where 21 of the 30 wickets came from the ball going straight, there were a number of performances which won't fill anyone in the setup with pleasure. Jonny Bairstow, who has worked maniacally to get himself back into the test team, failed to score a run in the game. Ollie Pope looked like a man still feeling his way back after a shoulder injury, a bit frantic and unsure as to how best to cope with Ashwin who has dismissed him three times already this series. These two were not alone in their tribulations by any means, however there was a palpable discomfort during their time at the crease. Ed Smith and the rest of the selectors will have their fair share of proverbial headaches regarding the final test and indeed the return series this summer.

Ollie Pope watches as the bails fly off - Image credit- BCCI

The fans. For the 50,000 fans in the breathtaking new stadium, they were deprived of at least two more days of good cricket and more chances to get back to live sport- a phenomenon we have all missed. For fanatic observers at home in England, India, Australia and beyond, we missed out on a big weekend of top level test match cricket- something we can all agree can rarely be paralleled enjoyment-wise. Is there anything better than waking up on a Saturday morning, flicking on the TV and settling in for 8 hours of uncensored cricket porn? I think not.

As I mentioned above, there was something amusing about the chaotic denouement of the test, but it robbed the game of any build-up or tension- the facets which make test cricket truly great. Batting collapses are of course commonplace in English cricket but the second innings 81 all out was more predictable than most, especially after the scoreboard sat at 0-2 after three balls. Maybe this is where my sour grapes come to fruition but I couldn't help but feel shortchanged watching the post-match awards ceremony, especially after Virat Kohli described the pitch as a "very good wicket."

Ultimately, this test series will indeed be memorable to the huge global audience watching, but barring a huge surprise in the fourth test, it will be so for all the wrong reasons. England have paid a heavy price for winning the first test on a more generous wicket, and India seem unlikely to risk their World Test Championship final place by providing the same pleasantries back in the same venue in a week's time.