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Back Robinson to perform well in the first outing of the series, on an “interesting” surface at Ranchi
Vithushan Ehantharajah
“It seemed interesting, didn’t it? I don’t know. I can’t say much.” It was perhaps the most diplomatic response Ben Stokes has given in India so far.
Going into this tour, England made a conscious effort not to complain about the pitches. Like any team at home, selecting a surface on their own terms was India’s prerogative. Complaining about them only makes them look like sore losers and, worse, creates paranoia within their own ranks. The internal message was simple: face it. The preparation in Abu Dhabi, on raked and sand-covered strips, was done with this in mind.
They’ve largely stuck to that, complaints about the DRS aside, of course. The courses in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Rajkot have been excellent throughout, evolving to offer variety and ultimately rewarding quality. And, going by the score of 2-1, India has been the better team so far.
Things are going to change in Ranchi, so to speak. The tourists were received at the CEJA International Stadium by a strange 22-meter strip. Two days before Friday’s start, it was already cracked, with plates that some players expect to move when under pressure.
“I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like that before, so I have no idea,” Stokes said, when asked how it could work. “I don’t know what could happen.
“If you looked to one side at the opposite ends, it looked different to what I’m used to seeing, especially in India. It looked green and grassy in the locker room, but then you came out, it looked different. Very dark and brittle and with quite a few cracks.”
England sensed these conditions would be the most unusual of the series when it was announced that Jasprit Bumrah would be rested for the fourth Test. Bumrah’s 17 wickets at 13.64 came in a variety of situations and deliveries, and India will not care if there are more on offer for their spinners in his absence. Especially with a 2-1 lead.
England has to grin and bear it. As vice-captain Ollie Pope observed: “If it spins from the first ball, I guess it’s a level playing field.”
As such, Stokes is considering returning to the attack with many effects from the first two Tests, although he will await a final look on Thursday before deciding whether to bring in Shoaib Bashir instead of James Anderson. Another option, particularly if England anticipate a short match dominated by the need to score quickly in turning conditions, could be to strengthen the batting with Dan Lawrence replacing Anderson. Although he has yet to play a Test under Stokes, the England management has long rated his approach positive, while his own idiosyncrasies have been known to create a sharp turn.
The only certainty at the moment is that Ollie Robinson will replace Mark Wood, who expended a lot of energy during the third Test defeat and needs a rest.
It’s been an intriguing tour for Robinson. He has been almost entirely in the shadows, having spent the last series of him as one of the main protagonists. His last competitive match was the third Ashes Test at Headingley, where he was limited to just 11.2 overs in the first innings before a back spasm ruled him out of the rest of the series. He had been Australia’s main antagonist up to that point, aggravating much off the field while making a modest impact on it, with just nine wickets at an average of 28.40.
The six months between the last of those 19 tests and the preparation for this tour have been spent wisely. He shaved about 20 seconds off his 2km time in a fitness run that made him look slimmer and more equipped for the rigors of the energy-consuming work that India demands of seamers.
For a player publicly criticized for his lack of fitness by former bowling coach Jon Lewis during the 2021/22 Ashes, omitted by Stokes for the first series in summer 2022 against New Zealand and told by his captain to get on form and then couldn’t play. a full role last summer, this is an important moment for Robinson. Two undulating years present a talented cricketer with 76 career dismissals from him at 10.21pm a chance to impact a high-profile series. This test that he must win will be the first for the 30-year-old player in India.
Robinson hasn’t gone through the motions while on the periphery of this series. His partner, Mia Baker, will be away during the tour, and the couple recorded a few episodes of their podcast, “Chatting Balls,” and played a few rounds of golf during their free time.
Most importantly, Robinson has maintained a high level during the nets, displaying skills that worked so well in Pakistan last winter on similar covers that were not conducive to seams. He has not gone unnoticed.
“I think he’s worked incredibly hard while he’s been here,” Stokes said. “And it’s difficult for someone like Ollie, who has played such a big role in the game for the last two years, where he hasn’t been involved in any games and the things he’s done outside of the game itself have been very good.
“I told him today that he has been a great example of doing the right things and waiting his turn if it comes. Not playing the first three Tests can be difficult and disappointing. But the way he has pushed himself and improved his fitness and Don’t let disappointment get in the way of a possible opportunity that could arise in this series.
“He has incredible skills to be a successful bowler anywhere in the world. What we have seen in England is that he is very skilled, but we have seen more than that in Pakistan. It is similar but different here, but the skill he possesses, he can find any move and his release point will always be dangerous.
“The ability will always be there. But since that talk (in 2022) he has worked on everything that I thought would bring out the best in him, but also the team. “Having Ollie Robinson able to bowl three spells and backing him up on the next day “It will do a lot of good for any team.”
Stokes would not be drawn into definitive statements about the selection, not until he takes one last look at the field on Thursday afternoon. That included remaining coy about his involvement as an all-rounder.
He bowled to Jonny Bairstow for 35 minutes during Wednesday’s training session, the first time he bowled to a batter following surgery on his left knee in November. A possible breaking of the “pinky promise” made to physiotherapist Ben Davies that he would not bowl in India should be covered with a beer. Before that point, Stokes wants to see how he recovers after the longest spell of him bowling during this rehabilitation period.
“My knee was absolutely fine today bowling,” he said. “It was good to get over that 20-minute barrier, which is what I’ve been working on at the moment. It might be a little stiff, but we’ll wait and see.”
As a collective, the last few days have been about emotional recovery from the 434-run drubbing in Rajkot. The most galling defeat of the Bazball era – and there have only been six, against 14 wins in 21 Tests – sparked a significant backlash against the new movement. Was Stokes surprised by the reaction?
“No, it’s sport, right?” he shrugged. “You get applause when it goes well and a little shit when it doesn’t. That’s part of it. I’ve been around long enough to know that, but we keep going.”
His immediate reaction to the defeat was to gather the players in the visiting locker room and warn them of criticism from outside their circle of trust, as well as the need to get over the defeat as soon as possible. However, he appreciates that people have their own reflections on what went wrong, something he considers a good thing.
“Me, as a person, and I’m sure that every player in the locker room has reflected in some way on that game. But in terms of the result, no.
“I think as long as everyone reflects on a game, whether you perform or not, and that gives you the opportunity to do something better in the next game, I think that’s the best way to look at it, rather than reflecting too much on the result That’s how I look at wins, losses, whatever.
“You can have a good game and lose, and a bad game and win, so reflecting on your performance as an individual is the most important thing, rather than reflecting on the result itself. A lot of things go into a Test match and Focus solely on the outcome of the game is not the best kind of reflection.”
One thing this group has demonstrated is their ability to turn the tide. An opening defeat by an innings at Lord’s in the South Africa series two summers ago was followed by two dominant victories. Similarly, a 2-0 deficit against Australia last summer, with spirits under immense pressure, was reversed in spectacular fashion to draw the Ashes 2-0. Stokes attributes this to preserving “a pretty level vibe”, which he will maintain in a match that will either keep the series alive or condemn England to a third successive series without a win.
“It’s just what we’re good at, taking each game as it comes,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done since I started as captain and we’ll go out and try to play the best we can.
“You’re going to have good days and bad days, good games and bad games. Going out and sticking to the way we know allows us to play our best cricket is what we constantly focus on. That’s what we’ll do in this game, the next game and others.” games too.”
Vithushan Ehantharajah is associate editor of ESPNcricinfo