Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have a few selection dilemmas ahead of the Test series against the West Indies. Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
As Brendon McCullum sat in the team hotel reflecting on a humbling first series defeat as England head coach, the idyllic cricket ground in the distance hosting the Barmy Army against monks from the local monastery, in place of the fourth day of the fifth Test against India, there was a recognition that his side's approach needed refinement.
While not top of the list, this also included accepting that some of their public statements during the tour had bitten them in the backside; Statements such as Ben Duckett in Rajkot saying "the more the merrier" in reference to the chase - England collapsed to 122 all out when set 557 was started - or that Yashasvi Jaiswal, 712 at the end, somehow way was inspired by the tourists.
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"We do have faith within our group," McCullum said, 24 hours after the grizzly three-day showdown in the Himalayan foothills. "[But] it has taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks. We need to be smarter about those comments. It's okay to believe inwardly what you can achieve, but just be a little smarter in the way we say things.
"But these are people who grow up in the area, right. They are not yet finished articles and they certainly should not be hung up for making a positive comment that could be construed as arrogance. It is not arrogance, but just confidence in the group."
McCullum said his players should at least aim to emulate India, who have been so impressive in securing their 17th straight home series win, not least in their ability to seize the big moments. An example of this was on day three in Ranchi and the chance to make it 2-2, but on a lackluster morning when England's first innings lead of 134 runs, three wickets needed, was eroded to just 43 and the decisive collapse that followed.
"They outplayed us in the style of cricket we want to play and made us pull back a little bit," McCullum said. "India outplayed us, they outsmarted us and were simply too good for us when we were struggling. When you are exposed like we have been here, you know you have to get better in some areas.
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McCullum's diagnosis was that there was 'timidity', although this might raise some eyebrows given the manic batting that unfolded in the final episode of the 4-1 defeat. However, his point here was that their desire to be positive gave way to doubt, leaving their minds increasingly confused by a ruthless bowling attack and poor decisions that resulted.
All this, however, in the case of one batsman, with Joe Root's form going the other way after a quiet start. The personal pivotal point for Root was the much-criticized reverse disaster at Rajkot, perhaps a lesson for colleagues in reversing some of the wilder attempts to spread pitches (even if the Yorkshireman seemed publicly unrepentant when asked about it).
McCullum said the initial run of 10 wins in 11 under himself and Ben Stokes - a record that now stands at 14 from 23 - contained a bit of 'luck' that 'hid some of the cracks'. Difficult conversations have been had, he emphasizes, adding: "On this occasion we must recognize that we still have some work to do. The coming months will ensure that we are a more refined version of what we are today."
There is effectively a four-month gap before six summer Tests against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and while McCullum's mantra has tended to remain present, this gap - with a restart against a lower-ranked opponent - makes it halfway the competition. project; two years into the head coach's four-year contract, which runs until the end of the 2025/26 Ashes.
McCullum was cagey about personnel changes but admitted Australia - and India's visit the previous home summer - will be a factor in selection. To that end, decisions loom over the long-term wicketkeeper, the first-choice spinner, the middle order, and the future of Jimmy Anderson - 700 wickets up - as new wickets are blooded. Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Matt Potts were all name-checked here.
Both McCullum and Stokes appear in no mood to let Anderson retire, not least given his role as a mentor to those young thrusters. But the 41-year-old remains a difficult one; a seemingly unsaturated all-time great, but one who has taken his wickets at 50 runs apiece in the past year. His efforts in India were sympathetic: he bowled just 118 overs across the four Tests he played out of a total of 707.5 overs, even as one of four frontliners.
To that end, with Ollie Robinson's latest comeback plagued by conditioning issues again and Mark Wood less of a threat in Indian conditions, Potts should probably have joined the side at half-time after taking 20 wickets off 17 in three Lions games against India A. -old's menace was reflected in a strike rate of 31, while 104.4 overs across five innings demonstrated his excellent fitness and durability.
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McCullum would not be swayed by the expected crunch that will follow when Harry Brook returns from the personal reasons that saw him miss this tour, something that affects both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes. The head coach praised both, but said the decision - one that could also see an outsider come in such as Durham and Lions keeper Ollie Robinson - will be about "the weaponry to take on the best teams in the world. ."
In relation to the first-choice spinner, there was an acknowledgment that encouraging first Test tours for Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, taking 39 wickets between them after Jack Leach succumbed to injury, have created another logjam. "Jack will understand," McCullum said. "And he will be proud of it, because he is a man who invests in the team."
The feeling here, given Bashir's overspin and left-armers traditionally being less effective in Australia, is that the 20-year-old could well get the first chance. After a period of frustration and the consumption of a simple pie, refinement may manifest itself in some established positions that are quickly refreshed.
