England captain Ben Stokes said that the Dharamsala pitch is an absolute belter and that is the main reason why he did not pick an extra pace bowler for the fifth and final Test against India starting on Thursday. However, Dharamsala is colder than usual for this time of the year and the England brought in Mark Wood for Ollie Robinson which was the only change England made to their playing xi as well.
“Before we even got here, we were probably thinking it was going to be a three seamer one spinner attack but then when we saw the wicket and then saw it again today, I think going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call,” said Stokes in a pre-match press conference. “We felt there would probably a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are but overall the wicket looks an absolute belter. So playing two seamers and still having Bash (Shoaib Bashir) and Tom gives us a good mixture when you’re a little bit unsure of what it will do as the Test goes on.”
However, Team India handed England their first series defeat in the ‘Bazball’ era under Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. And, now, England would like to finish with a win as they already lost the series. Ben Stokes was quick to admit that the hosts played the key moments better than them after England’s win in the series opener.
“At 3-1, you think it’s not been a success but I look at it with completely different angles to that and I think we’ve definitely progressed as a team even though we haven’t got the results we wanted. You know, 3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1 and that’s obviously what we’re looking to do. It’s not worked out that way in terms of results but we’ve got one last push here which is great at the end of a long tour when you play five games. It’s a great ground to do it at and a lot of Barmy Army are coming in to support us this week. So, very excited,” he said.
However, Ben Stokes also revealed that off-spinner Bashir and pacer Ollie Robinson, who has not been picked for the game, have upset stomachs as well.
“They both woke up with slightly upset stomachs and the day before the game you don’t want to put anybody at risk so we’ve decided to keep them away from the team,” added Stokes.
Meanwhile, there was a lot of talk England’s aggressive batting approach before the start of the series as they have tasted their fair share of success with that. Moreover, he applauded the veteran pacer James Anderson, who at 41, remains at the top of his game and is two wickets away from the 700 mark as well.
“Jimmy coming up to 700 wickets, it’s phenomenal to think about, especially as a seam bowler. Amazing career to date, and I can’t see him stopping. Being 41, showing that hunger and desire to get better every single day is testament to his attitude and commitment to the game.” Stokes again added.
“The thing I look back on is when the game has been in the balance, India have been better than us in those moments on more than one occasion. In the first game we needed to bowl India out for 220 and were a lot better than them in that moment. The games after that, when the game has been on the line, their skill has been a lot better than ours, whether that be India with the bat or India with the ball…in the moments that have mattered, since the first game, India have been better,” Ben Stokes concluded.
