For the primary time below Ben Stokes' captaincy, England shall be enjoying for delight in a Test match.

India maintain the spoils, and all England have is the carrot of leaving with a 3-2 scoreline by changing into the primary group since 2012 to win two matches in a sequence towards the hosts. Though that's primarily right down to the actual fact not each Test nation is afforded 5 Tests in these elements. Even Australia had been solely given 4 this time final 12 months.

That Dharamsala is internet hosting this fifth and last Test does add further context of surroundings and, for some, divinity. Numerous the touring celebration will meet the Dalai Lama on Wednesday morning. At this level, England's personal non secular chief is unlikely to be amongst them.

The sequence could also be gone, however Stokes' focus stays for this last stretch of this tour. "Well, it's like whenever we play," he replied when requested what, other than just a few World Test Championship factors, are at stake. "We want to win this week."

Complacency will not be an possibility, significantly with the sense this group must step as much as the subsequent degree. Missed probabilities towards Australia final summer time stung, and comparable spurned alternatives in India communicate of the necessity for a gifted group to start out dealing with these strain conditions extra successfully.

"It's not a mental or a mentality thing," Stokes mentioned, matter-of-factly. "All you can do is work your hardest and try your nuts off in the nets because that's where you get better."

It was within the nets on Tuesday morning that England got here the near freezing these proverbials off. Most of the squad skilled in beanie hats, which had been introduced over throughout the break between the second and third Test, together with just a few long-sleeve cream jumpers. Cooler temperatures and even rain forecast on day one make this match an altogether totally different proposition.

England are entertaining selecting a three-pronged seam assault for the primary time on this journey, however will wait to see how what Stokes described as a "belting deck" so far as batting is worried, with surprisingly little grass given the rain during the last week, appears on Wednesday afternoon. Shoaib Bashir is nursing a cut up spinning finger, having bowled virtually 38% of his first-class overs within the final month. He is prone to be the one which makes method for the additional tempo possibility.

Robinson went wicketless in 13 overs consigned solely to the primary innings after selecting up a again challenge operating between the wickets whereas compiling his maiden Test fifty. It dramatically stifled his effectiveness and in flip blunted England's cutting-edge with the ball. His distress was compounded by a pricey drop of Dhruv Jurel in India's first innings.

Stokes took the chance to again Robinson, whose Test file nonetheless reads a formidable 76 wickets at 22.92. And he gave a transparent indication he sees the 30-year-old as an necessary a part of England's future.

Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum oversee preparations forward of the fifth Test towards India•Getty Images

"You are more gutted for Ollie that something on day one, his back going, which affects the role he can play in the long run. He is more disappointed that he couldn't help the team out as much as he'd like," he mentioned.

"With Ollie, we look at the effort he put in as an individual leading up to and on this tour. His work ethic away from playing was very good, and he gave himself the best chance of being in position to win that game for us.

"The factor to have a look at is that he was out on the sphere, making an attempt to affect the sport though he wasn't feeling 100%. A lesser man would have put their fingers up, walked away and never even tried."

Naturally, Stokes was unwilling to take credit: "I'm not the one who's on the market doing that," referencing the 681 runs struck across just six Tests that season. But as a close friend of Bairstow, and someone who brought up three figures himself in the third Test at Rajkot and brushed it off, he knows how much this will mean to the 34-year-old.

"This might be going to be extra of an emotional factor for Jonny than it ever was for me. I do not want to enter particulars as to why about the entire household. He's obtained his mam, sister, accomplice, little child boy and a few pals right here.

"Playing for England means so much to Jonny and means so much to his family as well and to play over 100 ODIs, 100 Tests - a lot of cricket for England - it means a hell of a lot to him. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well."

But amid all of the Bairstow-related pageantry, and the potential of narrowing the hole between them and India, England first have to method this fixture prefer it issues, even when it carries little weight within the grand scheme of issues. Stokes made a be aware of reiterating that to the group earlier than coaching obtained underway.

"We've been on so many India tours, you know what it's like when you get to an end of a long one - that sometimes you start thinking about the end of the game," Stokes warned.

"I don't think that anyone is thinking like that because every opportunity we feel at the moment is special to play for England. Because we've lost the series, it doesn't mean that this game is different to what last week was or the week before.

"We'll take into consideration the aircraft and getting dwelling after we're within the airport. So I will not be enthusiastic about that in any respect till the sport's performed."

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an affiliate editor at ESPNcricinfo