The second Test of the series, which took place in Edgbaston last week, saw India defeat England by a staggering 336 runs, and Ben Stokes, the captain, only fueled the ire by calling the Birmingham pitch "subcontinental." During the post-match ceremony, Stokes made the statement, which many supporters didn't agree with because they thought the English captain was using it as an excuse for the defeat.

As the game progressed, it likely turned into more of a subcontinent pitch. "We certainly had a little bit in it to start off with and I think we exposed that very, very well early on," Stokes had stated.

“Then it just turned into a real tough slug for us as it kind of got deeper and deeper, and obviously with the Indian attack and the conditions that they’re used to, they were sort of used to and knew sort of how to expose those conditions just a little bit better than us, which can happen sometimes. However, it's not something to get too discouraged about. We can handle being out-skilled, and we have certainly been out-skilled this week, Stokes said.

Sitanshu Kotak, India's batting coach, was questioned about Stokes' statement during a press conference prior to the third game of the series at the legendary Lord's stadium in London. But Kotak's position was unequivocal. He insisted that the Indian bowlers made good use of the conditions, enabling the team to achieve its historic first victory at the stadium.

Stokes' reaction to Kotak

The ball at Edgbaston was still moving on the fifth day of the game, which is not something you would expect on a typical subcontinental pitch, according to Kotak.

"To me, it didn't seem like a subcontinental wicket, really. Every time our bowlers bowled, the ball moved. The ball was still moving in the second innings, even after 40 overs, according to Kotak.

"Maybe on the final day, the ball was twisting a little. With grass on such a hard wicket, it will have footmarks that aid with the spin rather than being rough. I believe they attempted to create a difficult pitch for batting.

In the extended first session of the last day, Ravindra Jadeja drew a hard turn off the surface, and in the final over before lunch, Washington Sundar continued to ignore captain Stokes. With the side winning the match in the following session, the dismissal gave India a commanding lead.

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