England wary of the unknown as India eye series win

"I've never seen something like that before. I don't know what could happen," England captain Ben Stokes told the British media after seeing the pitch for their fourth Test against India at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, which begins today. 

England head into the match trailing the series 2-1, having lost the second and third Test following their 28-run win in the opener in Hyderabad.

The hosts hammered the visitors in the third Test in particular, winning by 434 runs – their biggest ever win in Tests in terms of runs.

A victory will seal India's 17th straight series win in home Tests, being undefeated since losing a series to England in 2012.

The surface for the fourth Test appears to be perfect for India's lethal spin attack as it has deep cracks down one side but looks flat on the other, something that perplexed Stokes.

"It looked green and grassy up in the changing rooms but then you go out there it looked different: very dark and crumbly and quite a few cracks in it," Stokes said.

The Indian camp, on the other hand, said that they expect a 'typical Indian wicket' and are primed for whatever the pitch has in store.

"It's a typical Indian wicket, there are cracks, this wicket always had cracks," batting coach Vikram Rathour said.

"It will turn, but how much it will turn and from when we are not sure. We have enough balance in our team to go whichever way we want to go."

Indian batting line-up has been short of experience with Virat Kohli opting out of the series for the birth of his second child while KL Rahul has been out of the squad since the first Test owing to a thigh injury.

But young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit double-hundreds in the second and third Test, and debutant Sarfaraz Ahmed, who scored half-centuries in both innings of the third Test, have stepped up to fill the vacuum.

"We are missing some key players but a home series is always a good opportunity for the young talents to play in familiar conditions and establish themselves in the side," said Rathour.

England announced their XI yesterday, replacing pacer Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed for Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir respectively.

England XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley.