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India vs England: Ben Foakes expecting a rank turner from ball one in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad

England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes conceded that his team was completely outplayed by the hosts in the tricky pitch conditions in the third Test and they are pretty aware of the kind of track they'll get in the fourth Test.

India vs England: Ben Foakes expecting a rank turner from ball one in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, March 1: England wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes believes his team knows pretty well what kind of surface they are going to get in the fourth and final Test against India at Motera Stadium. The English batsmen were dismissed for 112 and 81 in the two innings of the third Test played at the same venue which they lost by 10 wickets as it concluded in just 140 overs.

The Indian spinners accounted for 19 of 20 English wickets in the match as the visitors - except Joe Root and Zak Crawley - failed to negotiate against the spin-friendly conditions at the refurbished stadium in Ahmedabad, which has a capacity to seat 1.32 lakh spectators, making it the largest cricket stadium in the world.

India vs England: Michael Vaughan mocks Motera pitch ahead of fourth Test in Instagram postIndia vs England: Michael Vaughan mocks Motera pitch ahead of fourth Test in Instagram post

While addressing media persons during an online presser, Foakes conceded that his team was completely outplayed by the hosts in the tricky pitch conditions. Adding that his team won't be too concerned about the track they are going to get, the right-handed batsman said they would be looking to counter Indian spinners and score big runs in the fourth Test, starting March 4 at Motera.

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"Obviously, we got thoroughly outplayed. Those were tricky conditions, but they played well. They have a couple of class spinners and we did not have answers to them so I think going forward, we have to be good enough to counter that to score big runs on the board.

"I don't think we're concerned. We know what we're going to get and I guess they're pushing their conditions to the extremities. We know it's going to spin considerably from ball one so it's about trying to find a way to play well in those conditions and understand they're going to be challenging," Foakes said.

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The 28-year-old Surrey cricketer, who has received a lot of praise for his excellent wicketkeeping skills in the last two Tests, said these were also the toughest conditions he has experienced in terms of glovework.

"The last two games have been the hardest pitches I've kept on. They've been challenging and the last game, I think it was to do with the pink ball, the amount it was skidding on or spun, I'd probably never experienced a wicket like that before. So it was a good challenge to keep on and I guess it was one I enjoyed."

India vs England: Never seen cricket ball turn like that: Ben Foakes on the last two Test matchesIndia vs England: Never seen cricket ball turn like that: Ben Foakes on the last two Test matches

While the Virat Kohli-led side just needs to salvage a draw in the fourth Test to make it to the final of the ICC World Test Championship, the tourists would be aiming to come back strongly and spoil the hosts' chances. Foakes admitted that England are capable of winning the game and drawing the series and they just need to stick to the gameplans.

"(We're) trying to keep a positive, clear mindset because when you're struggling your judgement can get clouded and things can go badly. It's about trying to keep a clear mind, stick to the gameplans and be slightly more positive at times if the situation dictates, but trying to come up with a game plan that potentially works on that surface now we've had an experience of what it was like in the last game.

"We're still in a position to draw (the series), we are in with a chance of a pretty awesome achievement if we win this last one. It's going to be difficult knowing the kind of surface we're going to play on but we have just got to be better than we were in the last game," said Foakes.

Story first published: Monday, March 1, 2021, 11:07 [IST]
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