Having ollie robinson

JSCA International Stadium: England captain Ben Stokes believes that the pitch being prepared for the fourth Test against India, starting from February 23 at the JSCA International Stadium, is something which he hasn’t been before and has no idea over how it will play throughout the match.

The pitch for the Ranchi Test has attracted attention due to its dark brown, super dry and cracked nature. Vice-captain Ollie Pope had said on Wednesday that the pitch has already got platey cracks, indicating that turn and variable bounce will come into play from the word go.

"It looked interesting, didn't it? I don't know, I've never seen something like that before so I have got no idea. 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," said Stokes to reporters.