England captain Ben Stokes was clueless about the pitch for the upcoming fourth Test against India in Ranchi, saying that he can’t figure out how will it play. The veteran also opined that it appeared as if plenty of grass was there on the track; however, there were quite a few cracks when looked closely as well. However, the pitch for the first Test of the series in Hyderabad had a considerable turn. But the pitches for the next two matches in Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot were competitive.

Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the fourth Test, Ben Stokes said: “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.”

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However, England won the first Test of the five-match series in Hyderabad by 28 runs. But they find themselves under pressure after losing in Vishakhapatnam and Rajkot to go down 2-1 as well.

“It’s sport. You get plaudits when it goes well and not when it doesn’t. It’s part of it, I’ve been around long enough to know that, but we crack on. Defeats like last week can have a bigger effect on the team that it needs to be. But I’m comfortable with how I addressed that. I know it’s the next game that counts. Me, as a person, and I’m sure every player in the dressing-room has reflected in some way on that game. But in terms of the result, no,” Ben Stokes concluded.