India vs England: Why Ben Stokes’ side have so much to prove in foothills of Himalayas

What a place for a decider.

With brightly coloured seats and stands, the tight stadium feels like a cricketing Disneyland before the jaw-dropping backdrop is taken into account. The snow-capped mountains are awe-inspiring, providing stunning scenery for the thousands of England fans that have made the pilgrimage to the foothills of the Himalayas.

Dharamsala is a bucket-list destination, but for England there will be no shot at a bucket-list result. The venue might be perfect for a decider, yet for the second marquee series in a row, England have not given themselves the opportunity.

Ben Stokes’ side left too much to do in the Ashes and have now wasted chances in India. That takes nothing away from the achievement of this emerging India side, but England should at least be level going into this final match.

Stokes is a losing captain in a series for the first time. He must rouse his men for one last push after some of them, including the skipper himself, have spent more time in India than at home since the end of the summer.

There is a huge difference between 3-2 and 4-1, and England’s winter as a whole will look pretty shoddy if it ends up being the latter.

The tourists will hope Shoaib Bashir comes through the illness that prevented him from training on Wednesday in order to take his place in the XI on Thursday.

It could expose the decision not to call up another spinner after the departures of Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed or, worse if the illness spreads, stretch a squad that is down to 14 players.

That the backroom staff, including the chef, were out among the fielding practice on Wednesday was hopefully just end-of-tour fun and games, rather than a contingency plan.

For off-spinner Bashir and left-armer Tom Hartley, Dharamsala is the last opportunity to show they are the most inspired England selections since Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick were plucked from domestic cricket.

While conversations have focused on how they can get into their county sides in the early part of the summer, they may even have eyes on pressuring the injured Leach as England’s number one.

Another chance in India is not afforded to pace bowler Ollie Robinson, whose immediate England future now appears to hinge on early season form for Sussex and faith from the selectors.

The fourth Test in Ranchi was not the first time Robinson’s back has let him down, which is a concern, but some of the criticism he received was unwarranted.

Robinson has long been a bowler who needs overs, so England must have known there was a degree of risk to selecting him for a Test when he had not bowled competitively since July.

Yes, the player can take some responsibility, but Robinson was hardly going to turn down a place in the side. That there is no specialist fast-bowling coach on the tour cannot help, either.

More broadly, it raises questions about England’s relaxed approach to preparation. A low-key build-up in Abu Dhabi seemed fine when England won the first Test, and warm-up games are not appealing to big-moment men like Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

But it might not work for everyone, Robinson being a good example. More overs would not have helped with the crucial catch he dropped, but the big fast bowler should not have been in the high-traffic area of short mid-wicket for an off-spinner.

There have been questions about his girlfriend’s lengthy stay on the tour, but these verge on double standards in an era when the mental health of players is rightly prioritised.

With Robinson omitted, England have confirmed without doubt that their current first-choice pace bowlers are 41-year-old James Anderson and a 34-year-old Mark Wood with a patchy but improving fitness record.

How the fast-bowling department evolves over the next two years is perhaps the most interesting area of the England side. They have not yet missed Stuart Broad’s bowling because of how few pacemen have been chosen on the tour, but they have missed his mongrel.

This could be Anderson’s last overseas Test, but equally his physical condition is making an Ashes appearance at the age of 43 in 2025 not seem out of the question.

If he does soon follow Broad into retirement, with Robinson’s place in doubt and Wood always walking a tightrope, then Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue may soon have to step up. There may still be a role for Chris Woakes, too.

Of all England players, this week is biggest for Jonny Bairstow, who reaches 100 Test caps. In more ways than one, Bairstow is the great survivor of English cricket and there is genuine affection towards him from all areas of the game, even if he is the media’s punchiest sparring partner.

Bairstow’s versatility can be seen as a curse and a blessing. Of England’s 16 other centurions, it is only the bowlers and all-rounders – Stokes, Anderson, Broad and Sir Ian Botham – that have a lower batting average than the Yorkshireman’s.

It can be argued his ability to fill different roles in the batting order, with or without the keeping gloves, has kept him around for longer than he might have been. Then again, Bairstow’s overall record might be stronger had he been given a consistent job to stick to. What is inarguable is his stellar 2022, including six hundreds, was the catalyst for the Bazball revolution.

Even in a landmark Test, Bairstow finds himself in need of a score. Harry Brook will come back at some stage, so Bairstow could again be competing with Ben Foakes for one place in the side.

Foakes’ glovework is peerless, his batting steady but perhaps too one-paced for a number seven often asked to guide the tail. England may decide it is time to move on from both Bairstow and Foakes, with (the other) Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and James Rew waiting.

If England are on the verge of an evolution, India’s is already under way. We may reflect on this series as the birth of a new formidable batting line-up. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel have all stepped up in the absence of established names.

While the batting has a fresh feel, there is still an Old Firm look to the bowling: Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, the latter also playing his 100th Test this week. Ashwin is a spin-bowling scientist with the action of a man trying to free himself from a pair of handcuffs. With 507 wickets, he is a great of the game.

Stokes has spoken of the “progress” his side have made on this tour. To some extent, he is right. England have been blown away on their previous two tours and that is far from the case this time around. India examines the mind, body and soul of a team. England have not fallen apart like so many before them.

Perhaps 4-1 was a result that was expected before a ball was bowled, but it would feel like a disappointment now. Stokes’ talk of progress is on firmer ground at 3-2.

This might be a dead rubber in Dharamsala, but England still have mountains to conquer in the Himalayas.