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Jonny Bairstow praised the fielders for a job well done ahead of the fifth and final Test of the series between England and India, which will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala from Thursday.
The English wicketkeeper-batsman said the pitch, which recently hosted a Ranji Trophy match, as well as the outfield look good.
“It’s a field used from the Ranji Trophy last month…let’s see. The grounds staff have done a fantastic job with the pitch given the time we’ve had here,” Jonny Bairstow said in the pre-match press conference.
“They have done a great job with the gardens here in Dharamsala. You can see it well. The terrain is one of the most picturesque places in the world,” she added.
The 34-year-old will become the 17th Englishman to win the 100th Test and Bairstow joked there could be a “surprise barbecue from the team” but accepted he would be excited.
“Playing 100 Tests means a lot,” he said.
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When asked about his poor run with the bat on the tour so far, he said: “I have been feeling good but the runs have not come. “I’ve been in the zone every game of the series so far.”
Bairstow has had a poor run of form on the India tour so far, making just 170 runs in the first four matches at an average of just over 21.
India have an unassailable 3-1 lead as they won the fourth Test by five wickets. England had won the first Test in Hyderabad by 28 runs. India responded by winning the second Test at Visakhapatnam by 106 runs, and then the third Test at Rajkot by 434 runs.
The fourth Test victory, by five wickets, was India’s 17th consecutive Test series victory at home, where they have not lost a Test series since being beaten by an Alastair Cook-led England in 2012. For England , who won the initial test in Hyderabad and have been competitive and entertaining in Visakhapatnam and Ranchi; it was their first series defeat under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum.
Even though the series is now decided, India and England still have 12 World Test Championship (WTC) points left to play in Dharamsala, which begins on March 7.
(With contributions from Agencies)