England all-rounder Ben Stokes found his below par hitting display frustrating, but defended the team’s selection for the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
England shot themselves in the foot in the previous test at the same venue when they opted for a four-pointed seam attack on a spin-friendly track and were defeated in two days.
Marked by that experience, Joe Root brought back spinner Dom Bess, along with stunt hitter Dan Lawrence, while speedy Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer were lost. sent a lone front-line closer in James Anderson, while Stokes himself is battling an upset stomach.
“We feel like the seam is not going to offer as much in terms of being a threat, it’s more of a holding role,” Stokes said after England went 205 on what looked like a good batting court at Narendra Modi Stadium.
“It is definitely a better wicket than the last test match.
“I think as the day progressed, you could see the ball starting to spin more and bounce more …
“In the previous match, the spinners claimed 28 of the 30 plots that fell in five sessions.
In contrast, India’s speedy Mohammed Siraj fired a pair of English hitters, while Anderson claimed the only Indian ground fell Thursday to a more sailor-friendly field in the same spot.
“We are more than capable of scoring over 300 on terrain like that here, it’s frustrating,” Stokes said. England’s vice captain outnumbered the tourists with a fighting 55, while Lawrence justified his retirement with a smooth 46.
Stokes felt that spinners Jack Leach and Bess would play important roles as the pitch deteriorated and also supported the decision to strengthen his batting order. “
Extending the batting lineup is something that we took away from the last test game, having an extra hitter in case we face similar conditions, ”Stokes added.
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