'It would take the pitch...' England batter Ollie Pope's indiscernible analysis about Ranchi pitch ahead of 4th Test against India

India and England are set to lock horns in the fourth Test of the five-match series at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium in Ranchi. The match will commence on Friday, February 23 later this week. Currently, the hosts India are leading the series by 2-1 after the conclusion of three Tests in the series.

Speaking of the wickets in this series, the scenario has been quite different in comparison to the typical ‘rank-turner’ image of the Indian wickets. In this series so far, the surfaces in all three matches played have assisted all the departments in some manner, be it batters, pace bowlers or spinners.

"That kind of gives the team batting first some advantage" - Ollie Pope about Ranchi Pitch

Star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah being the leading wicket-taker in the series is one of the evident facts about the neutrality of the Indian wickets in this series. Meanwhile, the star England number three batter Ollie Pope came up with a cryptic analysis while speaking about the Ranchi pitch ahead of the penultimate fixture of the series.

“It’s an interesting pitch. It Won’t necessarily be a belter of a wicket. There are a few cracks, very platey and it was wet as well when we checked. It would dry if you keep it in the sun, looked a bit crusty, the top layer, one half is good, and the other has a lot of platey cracks,” said Ollie Pope to reporters on Wednesday in Ranchi.

“If it spins from ball one, it would take the pitch out of the equation too. A lot of games start with a flat pitch, it would deteriorate. That kind of gives the team batting first some advantage,” he added later.

Notably, the Ranchi Test is going to be very crucial for both teams as England will be eyeing their comeback with a win to equal the series by 2-2. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma’s India will be looking ahead to take an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the series with a win in the Ranchi Test.