There are cracks on one side of the Ranchi surface, immediately outside the off-stumps for right-handers and left-handers, respectively.
England, trailing 2-1 in the series, must win the match starting on Friday in order to force a fifth and final Test.
“I have never before seen something like that. Stokes remarked, “I have no idea what could happen because I have no idea.”
“If you looked down one side of opposite ends it just looked different to what I am used to seeing, especially out in India.”
On Friday, England will announce their squad, and they have a lot of possibilities.
In the third Test in Rajkot, which ended in a crushing 434-run loss, James Anderson and Mark Wood were paired together as pacers for the first time in the series.
It’s possible that neither Anderson nor Wood will be deemed totally fit for Ranchi because England played the majority of that match in the intense heat on the field.
Ollie Robinson might be the lone seamer in what would be his first match for England since the third Ashes Test, and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir might be called up after missing the third Test.