Ben Stokes made two changes to his XI ahead of the must-win fourth Test against India starting in Ranchi on Friday. It looked like a reaction, not an overreaction, to drafting Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir on what he expected to be a rotating pitch.
Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed were among the players withdrawn from Rajkot’s 434-run defeat in which the tourists trailed 2-1 with 1-0 remaining Stokes put the former’s absence in the next two games down to his heavy workload and a desire to ensure he was able to continue playing in the side. Maximum speed. While 20-year-old Bashir returned to win his second Test cap – and certainly the tattered surface at Ranchi seemed more conducive to finger-spin – it could be seen as Jimmy Anderson in the final shake-up Preferred than Rehan Ahmed.
The leg-spinner has struggled for economy in this series, scoring 4.08 runs per over, while Anderson, though, was outplayed by double centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal on the final day of the third Test. Yashasvi Jaiswal), but does provide better control overall. He is four games short of 700 in Test cricket and Stokes will hope to use that experience to achieve that goal. It’s also testament to Anderson’s fitness and hunger that the 41-year-old feels ready to go again just five days after making the switch from 38 games in Rajkot. Robinson replaces Wood, bringing skill and length to the equation, the latter of which could prove relevant if variables ricochet into the equation in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Stokes has not committed to bowling in the match despite increasing his workload in training over the past week. He said he was in good condition after a tough training session two days after the game, but whether he could return to full fitness after knee surgery last November may depend on the game. “As much as I want to achieve this goal, I have to be very smart about it,” he said. “I feel like the spin is going to be helped here, but I also feel like having two seamers gives us a good chance purely because of the height of Ollie Robinson’s release and his relentless work in his zone.
“With a guy like Bashir, being able to shoot from such a high release point, we also feel like the extra bounce he gets will bring us more into the game.”
Two days after the game, Stokes pointedly called the pitch “interesting” and before naming his squad, he took a closer look at the pitch’s surface – with a noticeable crack on one side. Stokes said: “We were asked about the pitch and we gave our opinion. It doesn’t mean we’re going to have too many preconceived ideas. It could be as flat as a pancake, who knows? If If it is, we will adapt. If it does more than we thought, we will adapt. We won’t let these conversations bleed into our work.”
Considerations were given to promoting Dan Lawrence, the backup batsman for this tour and a part-time off-spinner who could ease the demands of the struggling Joe Root, But Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum believe it will be forced. They backed Jonny Bairstow despite a meager squad for last week’s tour and only managed seven goals at the crease. Stokes said: “If a batsman does not perform well for a short period of time, it will be looked at closely. But I don’t look at it that way, I look at what Jonny has done over a long period of time since I became captain. Contribution. He has money in the bank and he is a good player.”
India were once again keeping their final selections under wraps before the toss, with Jasprit Bumrah being the one player confirmed to be out for rest. Before Stokes spoke, the home team sent batting coach Vikram Ratul to attend the pre-match press conference. When asked about the surface of the pitch, Ratu replied: “Every time we play in India, there is a question mark on the pitch. It is a typical Indian wicket with cracks, this wicket always has cracks. It will Turn, but how much it will turn and when it will start, we’re not sure. But our team has enough balance.”
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Johnny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (centre), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jimmy Anderson
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India (Probable): Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Raja Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jade Jia, Dhruv Jurel (wk), R. Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep
