England captain Ben Stokes was left amazed after seeing the Ranchi pitch for the fourth Test against India, stating that he had never encountered anything like it before. Stokes remarked on the deceptive appearance of the pitch, initially appearing to have abundant grass cover. However, upon closer inspection, numerous cracks were visible, suggesting potential challenges for both batters and bowlers.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before. I have no idea what could happen. If you looked down one side from opposite ends, it just looked different from what I’m used to seeing, especially in India. It looked green and grassy in the changing rooms, but then out there, it looked very dark, crumbly, and with quite a few cracks,” Stokes told BBC Sport.
While there were hopes of Stokes bowling in the fourth Test, he preferred to keep the suspense over his availability as a bowler. “Whatever way we decide to go, if I feel capable of bowling, I will bowl,” said Stokes. “There is a possible chance, but I will have to wait and see how everything is. It’s all good at the moment. That’s the longest I have bowled in six months.”
Despite facing criticism for England’s attacking methods following a disappointing loss in Rajkot, Stokes encouraged his players to continue with the approach that has proven successful for them in the past. “You get praise when it goes well and criticism when it doesn’t,” Stokes remarked. “It’s part of it; I’ve been around long enough to know that, but we keep going.”
Mark Wood has been left out of the playing XI for the fourth Test, with Ollie Robinson replacing him. Stokes commented on Wood’s exclusion, explaining the importance of having players like Wood operate at their best. “You look at the player Mark is, especially with the ball. You want someone like that operating at 100 per cent,” Stokes said.
“His number one skill is how fast he bowls, and the effort he put in last week was monumental. You want to keep players like that on the field operating at that level.”