Ben Stokes gives his first verdict on Ranchi pitch for 4th Test vs India: Never seen anything like this

Ben Stokes gives his first verdict on Ranchi pitch for 4th Test vs India: Never seen anything like this

England captain Ben Stokes was astonished upon seeing the Ranchi pitch for the fourth Test against India for the first time, stating that he had “never seen anything like that before.” England, who are trailing 1-2 in the five-match series against India, must win the Ranchi Test to force a deciding fifth Test.

Stokes opened up on the deceptive appearance of the Ranchi pitch, noting an initial impression of abundant grass cover. However, upon closer inspection, several cracks were visible, suggesting potential challenges for both the batting and bowling sides.

“I’ve never seen something like that before. I have got no idea so I don’t know what could happen. If you looked down one side of opposite ends it just looked different to what I am used to seeing, especially out in India. It looked green and grassy up in the changing rooms, but then you go out there it looked different: very dark and crumbly and quite a few cracks in it,” Stokes told BBC Sport.

Meanwhile, England vice-captain, Ollie Pope, highlighted a significant feature of the pitch, noting an abundance of rough patches outside the “right-hander’s off stump” which might bring India’s premier off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, into play to exploit these conditions during the fourth Test.

“It kind of looks like one half is good and then there’s a lot of platey cracks at the other,” Pope noted. “At the minute, it looks like batting from the far end, there’s rough outside the right-hander’s off-stump. For example, Ashwin’s going to bowl from that end from over-the-wicket because he might want to bowl it into the rough,” Pope was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“And from this end, it’s outside the left-hander’s off-stump,” the batter added. “That’s how we see it at the minute. I think we will see what happens tomorrow after the Indian team has looked at the wicket, then make a decision from there,” he added.

England suffered a massive 434-run loss in the Rajkot Test to go 1-2 down in the series. Stokes reflected on the loss, saying that England have left behind the Rajkot drubbing.

“It’s sport. You get plaudits when it goes well and not when it doesn’t. It’s part of it, I’ve been around long enough to know that, but we crack on. Defeats like last week can have a bigger effect on the team that it needs to be. But I’m comfortable with how I addressed that. I know it’s the next game that counts. Me, as a person, and I’m sure every player in the dressing-room has reflected in some way on that game. But in terms of the result, no,” Stokes added.

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