Stokes looks to bigger picture before long-delayed England v India finale

The next time someone talks about the future of Test cricket in sombre tones, as if its decline is as inevitable as coastal erosion, point them to the rearranged fifth Test between England and India that gets under way in leafy south Birmingham on Friday.

Granted, the sands are shifting elsewhere in the world. But India pitch up in whites this week because to not complete last year’s series – one the tourists led 2-1 when Covid entered their camp ahead of the Old Trafford finale – would have left a £40m black hole. In these parts, whatever the short-form enthusiasts say, Test cricket is still king.

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India’s arrival is always a big deal but framing this series decider is not straightforward. They left these shores the superior side, their performances at Lord’s and the Oval nothing short of ferocious. Win or draw and it will be a first series victory in England since 2007, filed alongside their away triumphs in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

And yet an asterisk will inevitably sit alongside the final scoreline, its place in history a curio, because so much has changed since. Virat Kohli, whose midnight email to the BCCI on the eve of the original fixture sealed its fate, is no longer India captain, and Ravi Shastri, the head coach, will be giving his inimitable take from the commentary box.

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma formed a dominant opening partnership that schooled England but are now missing through injury and Covid-19 respectively, with Jasprit Bumrah stepping up as captain in the absence of the latter. The fast bowler – India’s irresistible game-breaker at the Oval – was buzzing at the prospect on Thursday, having never previously led a side