England captain Ben Stokes refused to provide confirmation on whether he will be bowling in the fourth Test against India, starting on February 23 at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi.
Stokes, who last bowled during the second Ashes Test in June 2023, has been playing as a specialist batter due to a knee injury. Notably, the star all-rounder underwent knee surgery after experiencing chronic tendonitis in his left knee in November last year after the World Cup.
England’s initial plan for the Test captain was to keep him away from bowling during the ongoing five-match Test series in India.
However, following consecutive defeats and finding themselves trailing 2-1 in the ongoing Test series, Stokes resumed bowling in the nets, which sparked speculation of him returning as an all-rounder in the Ranchi Test.
However, Stokes stated that the final decision regarding his bowling in the fourth Test against India is yet to be made. So, people will get to know about the same on the match day in Ranchi.
Ben Stokes said during the pre-match press conference on being asked if he will bowl at Ranchi: “I think it’s maybe or maybe not.”
Stokes also said that the pitch in Ranchi is likely to favor spinners, but he stressed that the 20-year-old Shoaib Bashir can be effective in the fourth Test due to his significant height advantage.
Stokes signed off by saying. “There is going to be assistance for spin but Bashir’s extra bounce because of his height is going to help on this pitch.”
In terms of changes, England made two changes for the Ranchi Test, bringing in Shoaib Bashir and Ollie Robinson in place of Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed, respectively.
England XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir
(With PTI Inputs)
