“There’s not a huge amount of talk about the pitch” - Jonny Bairstow

England batsman Jonny Bairstow has said that the team does not discuss the pitches much during their interactions in the dressing room.

All the matches of the T20I series are being played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, different pitches are being used and experiments have been made with the soil as well.

In an interview shared on bcci.tv ahead of the 4th T20I against India, Jonny Bairstow said that for England, it is all about adapting out in the middle.

“There’s not a huge amount of talk about the pitch. Naturally, you are going to be changing surfaces. After the first few balls and overs, you assess. We have seen a couple of times the dew has come in. We have also seen the odd one bounce a little bit more. But it is all about assessing on the day, as it comes. As we have seen, the attacks have differed. India play more spinners and us more seamers,” Jonny Bairstow said in the interaction.

He also pointed out that teams are still trying to get used to playing at the new stadium in Ahmedabad.

“Everyone is learning here. It is a new stadium. First time Test matches are being played here. First time white-ball cricket is being played here as well. We are changing wickets each game. The more games are played, the more the guys will get accustomed to the pitch and the conditions," said Jonny Bairstow.

We win the toss and bowl ⚪🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 18, 2021

"Chuffed to reach my 50th cap" - Jonny Bairstow

After a forgettable Test series, the 31-year-old has been performing decently in the T20Is with scores of 26 not out, 20, and an unbeaten 40. The fourth T20I against India will be Jonny Bairstow’s 50th T20.

This comes after he completed 1000 runs in the format in the earlier match. On the two achievements, Bairstow said:

“I am really chuffed to reach my 50th cap and complete a 1000 runs in the last game. Absolutely delighted and very proud.”

5⃣0⃣ IT20 appearances@JBairstow21 👏And plenty more to come 💪 pic.twitter.com/PBurxiPeNi

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 18, 2021

Asked about the experience of playing without a crowd as opposed to having them around, Bairstow said it can work either way depending on the individual. He explained:

“It is different for us all. In India, we know how fanatical the fans are, how passionate they are, how much they get behind their home team. But, we have also become quite accustomed to not having a crowd as well. It can work in different ways. Some people really enjoy having a crowd, it can spur them on and get the adrenaline pumping. For others, it can make some perform worse.”