Despite a poor run of scores in the first three Tests, England head coach Brendon McCullum has firmly backed the struggling duo of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in the run-up to the penultimate game of the five-match gig, starting Friday in Ranchi.

While Bairstow has managed only 102 runs in six innings, Root’s bat has produced a mere 77 runs from the three Tests so far, begging questions on the duo’s place in the side for the fourth Test.

McCullum, however, threw his weight behind the batters, saying, “I haven’t even seen the wicket in Ranchi but I’d anticipate Jonny would be playing. He’s (Bairstow) not scored the volume of runs he would have wanted and a couple of times he’s got out kind of mildly for someone who’s got the power game Jonny’s got. I don’t have concerns over him.”

“We know that a top-quality Jonny Bairstow is as good as anyone in any conditions. So from our point of view, we’ve got to keep on giving him confidence and block out a lot of the external noise; keep him really present and focused on what he’s trying to achieve and I’m sure Jonny will come good.

“We’re a long way from home and India can be a tough place to tour – anywhere can be. I will spend a bit of time with Jonny and remind him that he’s such a wonderful player. And not because you’re trying to get a performance but because he’s a good bloke and you want to make sure he’s enjoying himself. Whatever happens, results-wise happens,” the former Kiwi captain added.

McCullum also came out in defence of out-of-form former England skipper Root, a batter of the traditional mould, and according to cricket pundits have been struggling under the Bazball era. McCullum also backed Root’s ramp shot, which has drawn a lot of flak.

“It’s Joe Root, crikey. I mean, seriously? The law of averages suggests he’ll fill his boots in the next two,” said McCullum.

Root’s ramp shot on Day 3 of the Rajkot Test triggered a collapse of 8 for 95, leading to England’s second straight loss in the rubber.

“I think he’s averaged about 50 with that shot (previously 60, now 30), plus what’s happened after he’s played that shot previously. He’s got out twice doing it. You can get nicked off defending one or trying to drive one through the leg side. I don’t know if it is as high risk shot in the modern game as what it appears in the previous game.

“I would say that his statistics in the last 18 months or so, whilst people see a shot like that and they go ‘oh, Joe Root is struggling to deal with this new regime’ – but have a look at the numbers. He’s averaging higher. He’s striking at a higher rate. His impact on the game is still very, very significant.

“Imagine if this becomes the norm for Joe as well, with the talent that he possesses and the history that he’s got. And then what’s the ceiling? So this is a point: do we want just a normal Joe Root, or do we want a Joe Root that is even better? How many games are we going to win if that happens?”

Stokes likely to bowl in Ranchi

Multiple injury concerns have reduced England captain Ben Stokes, one of the world’s premier all-rounders to a mere batter over the past two years. However, post the 2023 ODI World Cup, Stokes underwent a knee surgery for a longstanding injury but hasn’t bowled in international cricket.

In fact, the 32-year-old has not bowled since the Ashes in mid-2023, playing the World Cup and subsequent matches as a specialist batter. However, following England’s second-biggest hammering in the third Test in Rajkot, Stokes expressed a possible return to his bowling duties.

“I had my first bowl (in the nets) at 100 per cent. As a ­person, I like to jump the gun a ­little bit too much. I have to get my whole body to get used to bowling. So I am not saying no, but I am not ­saying yes, either,” he said at the end of the third Test.

Stokes is three scalps short of joining an elite list with Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only men to achieve the Test double of 6000 runs and 200 wickets. Against India, the star all-rounder has 39 Test wickets, 13 of which have come in as many innings in Indian conditions.

Stokes’s return to the bowling attack in Ranchi could add depth and variety in their attack, and while he has restarted bowling in the nets, it could well depend on the conditions in the next two games, in Ranchi and Dharamsala, where his bowling could help the team’s performance.