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'He Made A Big Error' - Boycott Slams Ben Stokes For Captaincy Blunder In Ranchi Test

England conceded critical runs late on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test [X.com]England conceded critical runs late on Day 3 of the Ranchi Test [X.com]

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott was critical of skipper Ben Stokes' tactics during the Indian run-chase in the Ranchi Test. 

Boycott was disappointed with the England captain's choice to start the bowling with a pair of spinners, Joe Root and Tom Hartley, with India needing 192 to win the Test and seal the series. 

As it transpired, Root and Hartley, not used to bowling with the hard new ball that skids on the pitch, allowed India to get a headstart, with openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal making 40 without breaking a sweat late on Day 3 of the fourth Test and whipping out a significant portion of the runs required. 

The strong opening stand added 84 runs before Jaiswal fell on 37 and ensured India could bounce back from the stutters enforced on them by in-form off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in the middle-order to eventually ace the chase and clinch an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. 


Boycott Questions Stokes' New-Ball Tactics 

For Boycott, the Rohit-Jaiswal stand gave India momentum and confidence and laid bare an error in Stokes' decision-making to begin the innings with two inexperienced bowlers and concede vital runs late on the pivotal third afternoon. 

"I like Stokes’s captaincy but I thought he made a big error by opening the bowling with two spinners, Root and Tom Hartley. Stokes was thinking that a harder new ball would bounce more and a raised seam would create more spin," Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

"The problem is that unless you are experienced at bowling spin with a new ball then the lacquer makes it slip out of the fingers so it is difficult to drop it on a length," he added. 

While Rohit smashed a priceless 55, Jaiswal contributed 37 during that influential first-wicket partnership before Gill's excellent 52 not out and Dhruv Jurel's fantastic unbeaten 39 helped India overcome their mini-collapse to reach home after facing trouble at 120/5 on a challenging surface.