Team India and England are all set for the ultimate face-off for the fourth time in the series, as both teams will lock horns in Ranchi on February 23.
However, ahead of the much anticipated Ranchi clash, England’s skipper Ben Stokes gives a huge statement regarding the pitch on which the fourth encounter of the series is set to be played.
In the pre-match press conference, Ben Stokes said, “I’ve never seen something like this before. I have no idea, so I don’t know what is going to happen. If you look down at one side of the opposite end, it is currently completely different from what I am used to seeing, especially here in India. It looked green and grassy up in the dressing rooms, but then you go out there, it looks different: very dark and crumbly, and quite a few cracks in it.”
However, ahead of the fourth test match, England’s middle-order batsman, Ollie Pope, said “England won’t mind playing in Ranchi even if the pitch starts turning from day 1, as it will create chances for them to pick up more wickets.”
Nevertheless, all three matches that are played in Hyderabad, Rajkot, and Vishakapatnam are played on supporting wickets, not on rank-turners.
Ollie Pope also spoke about the advantage of batting first in India. He said, “A lot of the time, the wicket starts out flat, and then as the game progresses, it deteriorates. We won the first game by batting first, and India won the last two by batting first. It doesn’t define the result if you bat first on a slightly flatter wicket, but it does give you an advantage.”
Both India and England will be facing each other in Ranchi on February 23.
