"Very surprised..." - Ben Stokes delivers bold verdict on Ranchi pitch

Ben Stokes lost the first Test series as the captain of the England Test side following their loss in the fourth IND vs ENG Test match. The Three Lions lost the Ranchi Test by five wickets and handed India an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Indian batsmen Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel helped their team cross the line and chase the given target of 192 runs.

England captain Ben Stokes was asked about the Ranchi surface and how it behaved throughout the four days. Stokes stated that he was very surprised at how the pitch held itself together. The English captain said that he won’t complain about the pitches as there have been four results in the series.

Ben Stokes gives his verdict on Ranchi pitch

Ben Stokes said at the press conference, “Very surprised how this pitch held itself together. But pitches in all four Tests have been good. No complaints, wickets have been very good and have produced four result.”

The pitches till now in the IND vs ENG Test series have been opposite to what they were predicted ahead of the series. The cricket experts were expected to be rank turners and it was predicted that the matches won’t last above the third day.

Though, the behavior of the pitch came to be opposite to what was expected and it had help for both the batsmen and the bowlers. Chasing down targets in the fourth innings hasn’t been easy for both teams, wherein, in the first Test India faced a loss by 28 runs whereas, England lost the second and the third Test by 106 and 434 runs.

This was the first time India were able to win a Test match in India after 2013 while chasing down a target of more than 150 runs. England also lost their first Test series under the reign of head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. This was India’s 17th consecutive Test series win in India and once again maintained the undefeated record for Test series in India. India managed to win their seventh Test series while going down 1-0 in any Test series.

The hosts were handed over a target of 192 runs by England after putting up a flop show in their second innings. The tourists were wrapped up for 145 runs wherein, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin managed to pick up a fifer and Kuldeep Yadav picked up a four-wicket haul.

India started off well while chasing down 192 runs. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma struck 84 runs off 105 balls for the first wicket. Rohit earned a well-deserved half-century, scoring 55 runs off 81 deliveries. Joe Root dismissed Jaiswal for 37 runs off 44 balls, preventing him from reaching 50. Following the dismissals of Rohit and Jaiswal, Rajat Patidar’s bad form continued, and he was dismissed for a duck. Patidar was followed by Ravindra Jadeja, who returned to the dressing room after scoring four runs. Finally, Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel ensured that India won the match by five wickets.

The fifth Test match of the series will be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala from March 7, 2024. India would be hoping to win the series by 4-1.