England's skipper Ben Stokes expressed his bewilderment regarding the pitch being prepared for the fourth Test against India, scheduled to commence on February 23 at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi. Stokes admitted that he has never encountered a pitch quite like this before and is uncertain about how it will behave throughout the match.
The pitch for the Ranchi Test has garnered attention due to its unique characteristics—dark brown, super dry, and cracked. Vice-captain Ollie Pope remarked earlier that the pitch already exhibits platey cracks, indicating potential challenges with turn and variable bounce right from the outset.
"It looked interesting, didn't it? I don't know, I've never seen something like that before so I have got no idea. 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 shared with reporters.
While a spin-friendly pitch may bring England's spinners Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, and Rehan Ahmed into play, there's speculation about Ollie Robinson potentially replacing Mark Wood in the playing eleven.
Stokes acknowledged Robinson's perseverance and dedication during his time out of the game. He commended Robinson for his hard work and emphasized the importance of patience and preparation for any opportunity that may arise.
Regarding his own possibility of bowling at Ranchi, Stokes remained cautious. "Before I had surgery I was told 12 to 13 weeks before I could start bowling. I am two weeks ahead of that and that’s the longest I’ve bowled but let’s see how everything is. If I feel I’m capable of bowling I’ll bowl."
Reflecting on his fitness, Stokes expressed optimism but remained cautious about his knee. "My knee itself was absolutely fine bowling (on Wednesday). It was just good to push past that 20-minute barrier, which is what I've been working around at the moment. It might be a bit stiff but we'll wait and see."
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