England captain Ben Stokes was not quite sure how the wicket would behave in the fourth Test of their five-match series against India set to commence in Ranchi on February 23. He reckoned that the wicket looked deceptive and that it could prove to be a challenging one for both the batting and the bowling sides. The all-rounder who could come in to bowl in the remainder of the series after playing as a specialist batter for the first three Test matches said that while the wicket appeared grassy, it had cracks on it.
"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 in a recent interview.
If It Spins From Ball One, It Would Be An Even Playing Field: Ollie Pope Before IND vs ENG 4th Test
Notably, England are 1-2 down in the five-match series heading into the fourth match which makes this a must-win affair for the visitors to keep the series alive. However, England believe that even if the Ranchi surface appears to be a rank-turner, they would be in with a chance as it would make it a level-playing field. England's vice-captain Ollie Pope echoed the same thoughts in a media interaction ahead of the match.
"If it does spin from ball one, it takes the toss out of the equation, then it's an even playing field," Pope said in a pre-match press conference.
Pope added that while batting first does not necessarily have an impact on the result of the match, it does hand a slight advantage to the team that bats first.