(Cricket News) With Ollie Robinson expected to make his tour debut, England may revert to their one specialist quick strategy for the crucial fourth Test in Ranchi. Ben Stokes’ return to his position as a seam-bowling all-rounder could also help them.
Although the tourists have not decided on their bowling lineup in detail, they are strongly considering sticking with the lineup they established in the first two Test matches, when Joe Root, three spinners, and Mark Wood all bowled separately. In the third Test, which India won by 434 runs to take a 2-1 lead in the series, Anderson and Wood were paired together again.
Following their combined 76 overs and four days of fielding in Ranchi, Robinson is anticipated to return to provide some new legs, while Wood is probably going to be rested. After that, Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum must decide whether to stay with the seasoned seamer, who has taken six wickets at a cost of 35.83 in his two appearances so far, or bring back offspinner Shoaib Bashir for Anderson.
If England think that the circumstances would provide extreme spin, then another alternative would be to bolster the batting. Dan Lawrence, who is himself a useful offspinner, is a good outsider for a first start in the Stokes-McCullum era.
Robinson’s last competitive encounter occurred in July at Headingley, where he made his previous Test debut against Australia. He may draw on his experience in Pakistan from last winter, when he managed nine dismissals at 21.22 with an economy rate of 2.47 on generally unhelpful surfaces, despite his lackluster performance in the Ashes. He still has 76 wickets at 22.21 in 19 matches.
After a preliminary look at the pitch at the JSCA International Stadium, the assault has reverted to being spin-dominant. Two days before the Test is scheduled to begin. The amount of the cracks that have already appeared startled England, and they expect plenty of turn right from the beginning of the game, with variable bounce coming into play sooner rather than later.
Vice captain of England Ollie Pope observed, “There is a lot of cracks.” They had recently wetted it as well, which usually dries it up, and it is really platey. Right now, it does not exactly appear to be a belting wicket. It appears to be in fine shape on one side and has several plate-like cracks on the other. That is the current way we view it. After the Indian team has examined the wicket tomorrow, I believe we will wait and see before making a decision.”
As of right now, it appears like the right-hander is batting from outside his off-stump, while the left-hander is hitting from this end. It appears to be down the wicket; one side appears to be somewhat plated, while the other appears to be a fairly decent pitch. Stokes might be used as a second seamer if he is fit to bowl. Consequently, England would have the best of both worlds when they decide to recall Bashir.
The England captain bowled at batters for the first time since his left knee surgery in November during Wednesday’s first training session in Ranchi, though he did leave open the option of bowling again over the rest of the series.
He spent a lengthy session batting almost solely against Jonny Bairstow, with the assistance of England men’s selector Luke Wright acting as the umpire to monitor his front foot. Throughout, he appeared robust, and after the game, he had a debrief with Glen Rae, the England team physician.
Pope stated that there is “certainly a potential” that Stokes may bowl this week. “We will see; he has not even confirmed it in the dressing room. Today he took a swing at the hitters. We will watch his pull-up technique, and if it is good, maybe we will see him use the ball in play.”
In a Monday speech, McCullum stated that if he thought Stokes was trying to advance too quickly, it would be his responsibility to hold him back. Pope understands that he will have the difficult responsibility of holding Stokes accountable while on the field, having been appointed as his deputy.
“To be honest, I think it is quite difficult to pull the ball out of his hand when he is going. However, I will talk to him before the game to find out if he needs anything of that nature from me. I suppose you have to believe both his ideas and the medical advice if he is fully confident in his knee. That is the most important thing, and I can be a resource if he needs any advice on the pitch.”
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