With the first three Tests of the ongoing India-England series witnessing action for 12 of the 15 designated days, all talk about the nature of surfaces were put on the backburner. Ahead of the fourth Test at the JSCA Stadium from Friday, however, the pitch is now front and centre.
It is not so much a matter of raging debate, but of intrigue. With Jasprit Bumrah being rested, there is an expectation for the turf to take early turn, something that was missing in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Rajkot.
Platey
England batter Ollie Pope did hint in that direction, calling the 22 yards “platey” (presence of flaky layers).
“The pitch looks interesting,” he said. “There are quite a few cracks and they aren’t just cracks... there are separate bits of ground that could open up with a lot of sun. The ball could deviate more off them if they open up like we expect them to.”
This is sure to have a bearing on team selection. India will have to decide if it will bring in an additional spinner in place of Bumrah or trust speedster Mukesh Kumar — who went above five runs an over in Visakhapatnam — to partner Mohammed Siraj and do the job.
The Axar case
In the past, Axar Patel has proved very effective on pitches that offer sharp spin, and has also been selected ahead of left-arm unorthodox bowler Kuldeep Yadav.
The 30-year-old’s batting can also come in handy, especially in a side that continues to miss the services of Virat Kohli and K.L. Rahul.
But something that India has to be mindful of is the possibility of there being an embarrassment of riches on a helpful track, leading to one of the four spinners being underbowled.
“In India, there will be some help for the spinners,” Shubman Gill said. “Batting plans will mostly remain the same. It will depend on who wins the toss.
“If they are batting first, then how our fast bowlers play. Our spinners always do well, be it Ash bhai (Ashwin) or Jaddu bhai (Jadeja).”
For England, captain Ben Stokes rolling his arm over in the nets on Wednesday presents an all new dimension.
The inspirational leader, who had his left knee operated on in November 2023, last bowled in a competitive fixture in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last summer.
If the England think-tank reads the wicket like Pope did and decides to go with three frontline spinners, Stokes — if cleared by the medical team — could share the pace-bowling load with whoever plays as the lead speedster.
“Stokes [has] got that competitive edge and there’s every chance he’ll bowl,” said Pope.
“But he’s not confirmed it yet. We will see how he pulls up.”
