England have been “exposed” in India and have some “deep thinking” ahead, according to coach Brendon McCullum.
The tourists won the first Test but then suffered four losses to go down to their first series defeat since McCullum took charge in 2022.
“A lot of good will come out of this tour. I’m 100% positive about that,” McCullum told BBC Sport.
“We will be a better cricket team for the experience, although it hurts a lot at the moment.”
England’s victory in the first Test in Hyderabad was one of their greatest overseas wins, particularly given India’s formidable home record – the hosts have not lost a Test series in this country in 12 years.
But the tourists squandered strong chances in the second, third and fourth Tests and were 100-1 on the first morning of the fifth before unravelling to lose by an innings and 64 runs.
The latest reverse in Dharamsala means England have been beaten in seven of their past 12 Tests and are winless in three series.
And New Zealander McCullum said this tour had “taught him more” about his team than ever before.
“Sometimes you can get away with things, but when you’re exposed in the way we have been in the back end of this series in particular, it does require some pretty deep thinking and some adjustment to make sure we’re staying true to what we believe in,” added McCullum.
“If anything we got more timid as the series went on and that was because of the pressure that was applied to us by the Indian line-up.”
In a wide-ranging interview, McCullum covered a number of topics and said:
- He and captain Ben Stokes are “not afraid” to have tough conversations with players
- England need to “work out” who is going to be their first-choice wicketkeeper
- Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir can pressure Jack Leach to become England’s number one spinner
- England will keep James Anderson around the squad if he wants to keep playing
England’s next Test series is against West Indies in July, followed by Sri Lanka at the end of the home summer.
There are tours of Pakistan and New Zealand next winter, before India visit in the summer of 2025. The Ashes series in Australia in the winter of 2025-26 will be the last of McCullum’s four-year contract.
England recalled Ben Foakes to keep wicket in India after Jonny Bairstow had the gloves for last summer’s Ashes.
Though Foakes’ glovework was excellent, his highest score with the bat was 47. Bairstow, who played his 100th Test in Dharamsala, also failed to make a half-century.
When batter Harry Brook, who missed the tour for personal reasons, returns to the side there is likely to be space for only one of Foakes or Bairstow, or England could look to Durham’s Ollie Robinson, James Rew of Somerset or Jamie Smith from Surrey.
“We’ll work that out in time,” said McCullum, who kept wicket in 52 of his 101 Tests for New Zealand.
“We have got time on our side to be able to make a decisions moving forward. Whatever we decide, we will put the investment and the support in, and try to give the most amount of time for that to be successful.”
Lancashire left-armer Hartley and Somerset off-spinner Bashir were selected for this tour despite limited first-class experience, but had to play an enhanced role after Leach suffered a knee injury in the first Test.
Hartley, 24, ended the series as England’s leading wicket-taker, while 20-year-old Bashir took two five-wicket hauls in his three Tests.
And McCullum said “everyone realises” the pair are vying with Leach to be England’s number one.
“Jack will understand that himself,” said McCullum. “It’s a good place to be when you’ve got depth and different types of options. We’ve got to embrace that and there will be some challenging selections throughout the summer.”
England used only three pace bowlers – Anderson, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson – across the series. Anderson is 41 and Wood 34. Robinson, 30, was disappointing in his only appearance in Ranchi.
Chris Woakes, 35, will be considered in the home summer, but with Stuart Broad retired and the current first-choice pacers ageing, England may begin to invest in the likes of Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue.
Anderson became the first pace bowler to reach 700 Test wickets in Dharamsala and McCullum said the Lancashire man still has “hunger and desire”.
“What his next ambitions are, I’m not sure,” added McCullum. “If you take age out of it, and look at the impact and speed he is bowling, the skills he is possessing and the conditions we are going to come up against in the next 18 months, if Jimmy wants to keep going we’ll certainly look to have him around.”
England’s relaxed approach has led to criticism that the environment is too cosy and failure is too readily tolerated.
Since McCullum and Stokes took charge, only batter Alex Lees has been dropped following a prolonged period in the side.
After the defeat in Dharamsala, Stokes said anyone who writes him or England off does so “at your own peril” and McCullum said the coach and captain are “fiercely competitive”.
“Whilst you guys know me as a pretty relaxed person, I still have a fierce drive to ensure that we will get this team to where we want to get to,” he said.
“That will allow some reflection over the next few weeks, then we start plotting towards rectifying what has unfolded here and becoming the team we should be.
“We like to operate in a really calm, enjoyable and positive environment, but we don’t mistake that for not having tough conversations when they are required.”