England skipper Ben Stokes made a striking statement about the Dharamsala pitch ahead of the fifth Test against India at the HPCA Stadium.
India are currently leading the five-match Test series 3-1 and find themselves at the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 points table. With five wins, two losses, and a draw, the 2021 and 2023 WTC runners-up have a 64.58% point percentage.
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The two teams head into this Test following a nail-biting affair in Ranchi in the fourth Test, which India won by five wickets.
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Ben Stokes comments on Dharamsala pitch, reveals whether he’ll bowl in the fifth Test
On Wednesday, March 6, on the eve of the fifth Test against India, Stokes spoke to talkSPORT’s Cameron Ponsonby.
Stokes was first asked about the changes to the playing XI, to which the 32-year-old replied, “We have one change from last week. Mark Wood comes back in for Ollie Robinson.”
The talkSPORT reporter followed it up by asking him why he made that change. Stokes talked about the nature of the pitch as the reason behind the change.
To be honest, we’re a little bit, sort of, surprised when we looked at the wicket. We sort of had in our head that it was going to be a three-seam attack. But, yeah, goes to show, you know, preconceived ideas and all kinds of things sometimes isn’t the best thing to do. But, yeah, look [we’re] having the two seamer options with our two spinners, and I think it looks a really, really good wicket. Looks like it might have a bit of pace and carry so obviously that’s why we’ve gone with Woody (Mark Wood).
When asked if he would put himself in as the third seamer alongside James Anderson and Mark Wood, Stokes hinted that he might not bowl, although he didn’t rule it out completely.
I think the way in which I’ve gone about that is sort of, if I do bowl, it’s a bonus. Every time, every team selection we’ve gone throughout this tour, it has been with me not considering bowling if that makes sense.
In November 2023, after the conclusion of the World Cup, Stokes underwent a knee surgery in London. An intense rehabilitation period followed the surgery.
The all-rounder is yet to bowl a single delivery in this series, although he has been spotted training in the nets with the ball.
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Will Ben Stokes bowl in the fifth Test?
Brendon McCullum, the England head coach for Tests, suggested in a press conference ahead of the fifth Test that Stokes could roll his arms in Dharamsala.
"There's a chance, yeah. There was a chance this week, but it was more due to conditions (in Ranchi) that he didn't," McCullum said.
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