Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India] : Ahead of the fourth Test of the series against England, India batting coach Vikram Rathour spoke about the unpredictability of India’s pitches and labelled Ranchi’s pitch as a “typical Indian wicket” with cracks and turns.
With India leading the five-match Test series against England by 2-1, Ranchi’s JSCA International Stadium Complex will host the fourth match from Friday.
Earlier after seeing the pitch, England bowler Olly Pope had said that it was completely dry and had cracks. Moreover, Rathour acknowledged that the ball would spin in Ranchi, but he also said that it’s difficult to predict exactly when and to what extent it will assist the spinners.
“Every time we play in India, there’s a question mark on the pitch. It’s a typical Indian wicket. There is no doubt that the pitch is dry and turn will also be seen. But we cannot say when it will turn and how much it will turn. We are always prepared for different conditions and the team composition will be seen accordingly,” India batting coach Rathour said in the pre-match presser.
India’s premium bowler Jasprit Bumrah was released from India’s squad, which made it a difficult task for the team to win the series in Ranchi. However, Rathour made clear that the 30-year-old pacer’s workload needs to be controlled.
“We would have loved to have Bumrah play all the games. Unfortunately, that is not advisable. The kind of workload he has had over the last three matches is immense. He has bowled really well and with a lot of heart. And with the kind of schedule we have, it made sense to give him a break. He is absolutely fine, physically,” Rathour said.
Hinting that Rajat Patidar might be able to maintain his place in the Indian middle order, Rathour gave the struggling top-order batter some words of encouragement. With three of his first four innings going for single-digit scores, the 30-year-old right-hand hitter has had a difficult introduction to Test cricket.
“We have been having a lot of conversations with him [Patidar]. One thing he has to understand is that this is how this game works. He has been batting really well and scoring a lot of runs to get into the team,” the India batting coach said.
“Two poor games don’t make him a bad player. He just had two tough games, a couple of awkward dismissals, which can happen to anyone. There is absolutely no doubt that he is a good player. On his day, he will come up with an impactful innings,” he added.
KL Rahul, who was unable to recuperate from a quadriceps injury, will also be absent for India. India wicketkeeping-batter Rahul is yet to make an appearance after the first Test. He will miss the third consecutive Test after he complained of right quadriceps pain. Rahul’s chances of appearing in the final Test will depend on his chances of regaining fitness before the clash.
“For me either he [Rahul] is fit or he is not. At the moment he is not. I am not sure about the percent or what stage he is in. Only the medical team can confirm that. As far as we are concerned, he is not available and we are focussing on the team we have,” he added.
India’s updated squad for the 4th Test: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
