England should brace themselves for another trial by spin in the fourth and final Test against India from Thursday, with the home side's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane expecting a similar pitch to those in the previous two matches.
England made a bright start to the four-match series, defeating India by 227 runs in the opening Test, but the hosts rallied strongly with comprehensive wins in the second and third matches for a 2-1 lead.
India defeated England by 317 runs in the second Test in Chennai and then completed an extraordinary 10-wicket win inside two days in the day-night Test in Ahmedabad, with spinners from both sides running riot on a helpful surface.
The world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad will also host the final Test, played this time with the traditional red ball.
"I think the wicket will be similar to the last two Test matches. It will be a spinning track," Rahane told reporters on a video conference.
Rahane, 32, felt it was the pink ball, rather than the pitch, that made it difficult for batsmen to score runs during the third test.
"Pink ball made the difference, it was coming much quicker off the wicket compared to the red ball. That's the adjustment we had to make," the middle-order batsman said.
The Ahmedabad pitch has been heavily criticised by a section of former England cricketers and pundits, but Rahane said the Indian team is not bothered by the comments.
A draw in the fourth Test will be enough for the hosts to seal their spot against New Zealand in the June final of the inaugural World Test Championship, but Rahane said India are thinking only about a win.
"We respect the England team. They are a very good, balanced team," he said. "We played good cricket in the last two Test matches, England played really well in the first Test.
"We are not taking them lightly. It's another match. We just want to go out there and give our best."
Meanwhile, England opener Zak Crawley believes the tour of India has been a great lesson for young players on handling external pressure as they look to cement their Test spots in difficult batting conditions.
Former players and pundits have questioned England's approach against spin bowling but Crawley said staying away from the online chatter has allowed him to focus on the task ahead.
"It's a great learning curve, not just the on-field stuff but the off-field stuff," Crawley, who was one of England's few bright sparks in the third Test with his first innings half-century, told a news conference.
"I'm fortunate I don't have social media but I've heard from a few of the lads who do that quite a bit was said about that game.
"That's one of the biggest differences to county cricket, dealing with exterior pressure people put on you and that you put on yourself because you want to do well."
The tourists have struggled against India's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, who have claimed 33 wickets across the last two matches, with England recording miserly totals of 134, 164, 112 and 81.
Although England's hopes of making the World Test Championship final ended with the defeat last week, Crawley said victory in the final Test to square the series 2-2 would still represent a successful trip for the visitors.
"There's definitely a way back, we've already won one and we're only one game down," the 23-year-old said. "It's going to require a good first-innings lead and that needs us to bat really well.
"It's an unbelievable winter if we can pull off four out of six Test matches (following a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka)."
- Reuters
England can expect trial by spin after Rahane predicts another turner
Image: Deepak Malik / Sportzpics for BCCI
England should brace themselves for another trial by spin in the fourth and final Test against India from Thursday, with the home side's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane expecting a similar pitch to those in the previous two matches.
England made a bright start to the four-match series, defeating India by 227 runs in the opening Test, but the hosts rallied strongly with comprehensive wins in the second and third matches for a 2-1 lead.
India defeated England by 317 runs in the second Test in Chennai and then completed an extraordinary 10-wicket win inside two days in the day-night Test in Ahmedabad, with spinners from both sides running riot on a helpful surface.
The world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad will also host the final Test, played this time with the traditional red ball.
"I think the wicket will be similar to the last two Test matches. It will be a spinning track," Rahane told reporters on a video conference.
Rahane, 32, felt it was the pink ball, rather than the pitch, that made it difficult for batsmen to score runs during the third test.
"Pink ball made the difference, it was coming much quicker off the wicket compared to the red ball. That's the adjustment we had to make," the middle-order batsman said.
The Ahmedabad pitch has been heavily criticised by a section of former England cricketers and pundits, but Rahane said the Indian team is not bothered by the comments.
A draw in the fourth Test will be enough for the hosts to seal their spot against New Zealand in the June final of the inaugural World Test Championship, but Rahane said India are thinking only about a win.
"We respect the England team. They are a very good, balanced team," he said. "We played good cricket in the last two Test matches, England played really well in the first Test.
"We are not taking them lightly. It's another match. We just want to go out there and give our best."
Meanwhile, England opener Zak Crawley believes the tour of India has been a great lesson for young players on handling external pressure as they look to cement their Test spots in difficult batting conditions.
Former players and pundits have questioned England's approach against spin bowling but Crawley said staying away from the online chatter has allowed him to focus on the task ahead.
"It's a great learning curve, not just the on-field stuff but the off-field stuff," Crawley, who was one of England's few bright sparks in the third Test with his first innings half-century, told a news conference.
"I'm fortunate I don't have social media but I've heard from a few of the lads who do that quite a bit was said about that game.
"That's one of the biggest differences to county cricket, dealing with exterior pressure people put on you and that you put on yourself because you want to do well."
The tourists have struggled against India's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, who have claimed 33 wickets across the last two matches, with England recording miserly totals of 134, 164, 112 and 81.
Although England's hopes of making the World Test Championship final ended with the defeat last week, Crawley said victory in the final Test to square the series 2-2 would still represent a successful trip for the visitors.
"There's definitely a way back, we've already won one and we're only one game down," the 23-year-old said. "It's going to require a good first-innings lead and that needs us to bat really well.
"It's an unbelievable winter if we can pull off four out of six Test matches (following a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka)."
- Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
Rugby
Cricket
Rugby
Rugby
Soccer