Surface tension in Ranchi adds another layer to gruelling series

On an odd looking Ranchi pitch, India aim to seal series with one of their most inexperienced teams in recent times 

- Somshuvra Laha

"It will turn, but how much and from when we are not sure," Vikram Rathour revealed something, and yet nothing.

There is a science to pitch reading which many don't get, while some do better than others. Rahul Dravid is one of them. Among the players, Ravichandran Ashwin is another. So, when they take turns to inspect a pitch long and hard, you get a feeling something must be bothering them.

It must be bothering England too. And that is why despite claiming to play a brand of cricket that takes the pitch out of the equation, captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum, chief selector Luke Wright and assistant coach Paul Collingwood were all poring over the pitch, feeling it and even taking pictures of what could only be assumed as the areas that may have raised some concern.

This is an Indian pitch alright, and a track typical of these parts too, with a smattering of dead grass, some areas drier than the rest but with an appearance that could set alarm bells ringing.

"There are cracks, this wicket always had cracks," Rathour, India's batting coach, said on Thursday. What may have spooked the visitors even more was how one half of the entire length of the pitch looked bald while the other half had an uneven cover of dry grass with cracks.

On Wednesday, Stokes had told the British media he had "never seen something like that before. I don't know what could happen."