Since the first day of the second Test between India and England when balls started turning viciously off the pitch, along with a chunk of the surface, there has not been any day without talks surrounding the nature of the pitch. Expert opinions are divided but are tilted more towards the point of calling the pitches in the last two games as poor as they argue that the balls started turning way too much too early in the game.
If the stern examination of batsmen, especially the Englishmen was not done enough in the second Test, the addition of Pink Ball in the third Test only deepened the crisis for the batsmen, and this time the effect was seen on both side of the aisle.
Although the groundsmen came under the attack from the press and former players, especially from England, any hope of respite for the tourists is unlikely. The sight of a huge challenge looming is not lost on the England camp and they recognise the fact that the pitch in the fourth Test will offer nothing but turn and bounce, and that too as much as it did in the last two Tests.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Sunday, wicketkeeper Foakes admitted the tourist camp is expecting the pitch to play a similar role as it did in the last game, and they are in search of ‘ways’ to challenge the hosts in ‘challenging conditions.
"I was at training today and from the look of it, I think it'll be pretty similar. 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 in a virtual press conference.
England were battered in the last two games by the Indian spinners on spin-friendly pitches, but there is no short of optimism and enthusiasm in the England camps and they recognise the prospect of ‘awesome achievement’ if they go on to win the final Test of the series.
Foakes said that the England side has become richer in terms of playing on surfaces as in the last two Tests and hence are banking on having a positive attitude and clear-headed approach to deal with the full and final challenge of the series. Foakes said that being in a positive frame of mind helps batsmen get out of the clutter and can bring about a change with a different gameplan after gaining experience in the last two games.
"Firstly not getting too down ourselves after the last couple of innings. 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 gameplan that potentially works on that surface now we've had the experience of what it was like in the last game,” Fokaes added.
"We're still in a position to draw in India... 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."
Foakes was brought into the England team after Jos Buttler was sent back home as per the rotation policy by the team management and the gloveman had a two-pronged challenge to face in the second Test.
He had to be vigilant and agile behind the stumps while standing up to the stumps against spinners, while with the bat in hand, he had to provide solidity to the lower order batting on pitches he now rates as the hardest ones he has kept wickets on.
He also weighed on the options batsmen had on those pitches in terms of putting their wickets on the line in pursuit of runs as the help spinners were extracting turn and bounce suitable for fifth-day pitches from the first ball itself.
"From playing on the last two pitches I've never seen turn like that. They almost feel like day-five pitches from ball one and it's understanding we are going to get out at times and it's making peace with a certain way of getting out if it means we can score runs,” Foakes added on the challenge of keeping and batting on pitches at Chepauk and Motera.
"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.”
"Any time it's done as much as it has been you're always in the game. It's just about trying to do as solid a job as possible and trying to impact the game by stealing a wicket or a stumping - that's my goal."
Foakes had started his Test career against Sri Lanka in 2018 and batted well against spinners to score a splendid century on debut. He was later dropped by the England team in a bid to accommodate Jos Buttler who offered a bit more flamboyance and match-winning innings with the bat in Tests.
He has looked good with the bat against Indian spinners and also been terrific with the gloves against spinners. However, fate appears to be similar as Buttler will come back to replace him after coming back from the break. But, for Foakes, the focus has always been on the three games he had to contribute towards England’s chances in India, and not on the bigger picture about his own prospects in the England team setup.
"The way I've mentally approached the games is it's three more opportunities to play for England and I'll try and do as well as I can," Foakes said. "I'm purely looking at how I can do well in the next game rather than the bigger picture."
The fourth and final game of the series will be played at the same venue where the third Test between the sides was played. India will be hopeful of a similar pitch to keep their spinners interested in the game, while England will be looking for different ways of countering spin and bounce off the surface from Indian spinners.