When Ben Stokes insisted on the eve of the third Test that England were not 'stuck in our ways', he was talking about the toss. But it was his team's batting that hinted at open-mindedness.

England adopted a cautious batting approach on Day 1 of the third Test against India at Lord's. This shift surprised many as England scored 251 runs at 3.02 runs per over on a tricky pitch.

This was an old-school day that the Little Master would surely have luxuriated in during his playing days, a good – if slightly slow – surface providing enough to encourage batter and bowler and England eschewing some of their extravagant electronica to harmonise with India on a gentler,