Another punishing England tour of India approaches the end, the scorelines ugly, the tight moments spurned by the visitors. With one match left to play on Wednesday, Jos ­Buttler’s team have six defeats and one ­victory. Should they endure a one‑day international series whitewash, it won’t be off‑Broadway: the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with its six‑figure capacity, awaits.

A year ago it was the Test side that tumbled to a 4-1 defeat. That tour began with a famous victory in Hyderabad and a tasty fifth-Test decider was in the offing when ­England took a first-innings lead in the fourth. Then came the contractually obligated ­collapse to spin before an innings defeat in the final Test.

The tourists have had periods of promise here but were thumped at the start and end of the Twenty20 series, and the ODIs have extended a strain of misery that goes back ­decades. England have not won a white-ball series in India for 40 years. This was always going to be a difficult first assignment for Brendon McCullum as white-ball head coach, up against history, the T20 World Cup champions and a crack 50-over team, too.

But the final ODI cannot be an end-of-term fling. Ben Duckett has acknowledged that the upcoming Champions Trophy is the priority, that victory there would forgive a series defeat here. But while this is not a side that lacks in optimism, the defeats, ­piling up, must be nibbling away inside, right? England have not won a 50-over series since September 2023. A win, even one that’s consolatory, feels required before a cut-throat major tournament that will feature only three group-stage games.

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy after failing to recover from a lower back injury in time for the tournament, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced on Tuesday.

Bumrah, the highest wicket-taker in the recent test series with Australia which India lost 3-1, had back spasms during the final test in Sydney last month, which also ruled him out of a five-match T20 international series with England. His absence will be a major blow to India, with the 31-year-old widely considered one of the best all-format fast bowlers in the sport.

"Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The men's selection committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah's replacement," the BCCI said in a statement.

Rana has played two ODIs, both of which came against England this month, picking up four wickets. The BCCI added that spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who took 14 wickets in a five-match Twenty20 series against England in January and February, would replace batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India are in Group A in the Champions Trophy and meet Bangladesh in Dubai on 20 February, before taking on defending champions and rivals Pakistan and ending their group campaign against New Zealand. Reuters

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.

Amid the difficulties, enter Tom Banton. The Somerset batter was called up for the final ODI after Jacob Bethell sustained a hamstring injury last week and is expected to replace the Warwickshire left-hander in the squad for the Champions Trophy, a substantial promotion after three years in international exile.

Banton’s story began in 2019 when he was the kid too gifted to ignore after England’s World Cup win, a handful of appearances clocked up in both white-ball forms over the subsequent two years. Everything came in a rush. Lean times on the T20 merry-go-round left him pushed into the background.

His 2024 was fruitful in the Blast, while a prolific red-ball campaign – 891 County Championship runs at 49.5 – included a remarkable 46 at No 11 against Surrey with an ankle injury. The crocked right-hander used his bat as a walking stick before flaying away with minimal footwork. He finds himself back in England gear after a couple of hundreds in the ILT20 last month.

It is a slightly odd call from ­England to replace Bethell with Banton, a southpaw who bowls handy spin substituted by a right-hander who can keep wicket. Banton is largely a top-order man in T20s but his 50‑over identity is a mystery.

Owing to the clash of the One-Day Cup with the Hundred, Banton has not played List-A cricket since August 2020, when he batted at five in an ODI against Ireland. With the 26‑year‑old expected to play in Ahmedabad, he will have to find his one-day tempo against a rampant bowling lineup at a gargantuan venue. It’s a tough ask.

Banton joins a batting group in need of someone to play the long game, with four half-centurions in the first two ODIs but no one yet to reach 70. Ravindra Jadeja has caused plenty of grief, six wickets and two red-inkers with the bat. The thing for England to cling on to? India are back where they were stunned 15 months ago by Travis Head’s blade in the World Cup final.