The match officials' report for Saturday's game described the condition of the outfield as "average", while Andy Atkinson, the ICC independent pitch consultant, inspected it on Sunday and was described as "comfortable" with its state.

The HPCA ground staff watered the outfield immediately after the game, and did so again on Sunday afternoon - particularly the areas around the bowlers' run-ups. Tuesday's match will be played on a fresh pitch, two strips across from the unusually slow surface for Saturday's.

In the worst-case scenario, the umpires could - after consultation with the match referee - deem the condition of the ground as "dangerous or unreasonable", causing the game to be suspended in the first instance, and then abandoned. In that event, the teams would share the points. On Tuesday, Ahsan Raza and Paul Wilson will be the standing umpires, with Srinath as the match referee.

He then briefly went through some running drills on the main square. Stokes did not feature in either of England's warm-up matches - the first was washed out but he was not due to play - and had only batted once previously since arriving in India, in a training session in Guwahati.