Rob Bagchi

Liverpool ultimately started their Europa League campaign with a victory which for an hour seemed unlikely.

A first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016 and the first time Sunderland have been pulled out to play Newcastle in the FA Cup since beating them in a quarter-final in 1956 was the pick of the third-round draw for the 2023-24 tournament.

The success of this tour was always going to be less about how Bazball fared on turning pitches and more about how England’s spinners compete with their Indian counterparts.

Moments after securing a sweet victory, Ben Stokes handed Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley souvenir stumps that deserve to be sprayed in gold and hung with pride in any museum.

Jasprit Bumrah knocking over the off stump one final time to confirm an India victory by 106 runs felt like a symbolic way to level a fine series that is bubbling up to be a classic.

It was a day that had a very English feel to it with cool sunny weather, a fresh breeze blowing down the valley and a horrible batting collapse.

Ben Stokes provided an Ian Botham moment of scene-stealing drama to announce his return as an all-rounder but even that could not disguise a day of methodical screw-turning by India.

There may yet be a vulnerability that others will exploit in Manchester City’s last five Premier League games of this title race, although it should be said that on this occasion Roberto De Zerbi, one of the Pep Guardiola disciples of the era, never got close to finding it.

Just think of the pressure.

The pain goes on.