"I've never seen something like that before" - Ben Stokes reacts to Ranchi pitch ahead of IND vs ENG 4th Test
England captain Ben Stokes was baffled by the pitch for the upcoming fourth Test against India in Ranchi, claiming that he can't figure out how will it play. The 32-year-old opined that it appeared as if plenty of grass was contained on the track; however, there were quite a few cracks when looked closely.
The pitch for the opening Test of the series in Hyderabad had a considerable turn. However, the decks for the next two matches in Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot played significantly true. With England playing two specialist seamers for the first time in the series in the previous Test, it will be interesting to see the combination they go for in Ranchi.
Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the fourth Test, the Stokes claimed the following about the pitch:
"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."
The Englishmen won the first Test of the five-match series in Hyderabad by 28 runs. But they find themselves under pressure after losing comprehensively in Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot to go down 2-1.
"You get plaudits when it goes well and not when it doesn't" - Ben Stokes
Reflecting on England's heavy 434-run loss in Rajkot, Stokes feels such defeats are part and parcel of the game, but they have left it behind already. He added:
"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."
According to reports, Ollie Robinson is likely to earn a recall for the fourth Test. Meanwhile, Stokes is expected to bowl in professional cricket for the first time since the 2023 Ashes series.