England manager Brendon McCullum says England were “exposed” in India and are “thinking deeply” about the future.
The tourists won the first Test but then lost four more, their first series loss since McCullum took over as manager in 2022.
“A lot of good things will come from this tour, I'm 100 per cent positive about it,” McCullum told BBC Sport.
“We are very hurt at the moment, but we will use this experience to become a better cricket team.”
England's victory in the first Test in Hyderabad was one of their biggest overseas victories, especially considering India's appalling domestic record. The hosts have not lost a Test series in this country for 12 years.
However, the tourists squandered big chances in the second, third and fourth Tests, and although they were 100-1 on the morning of the fifth, they lost by an innings and 64 runs.
The recent upset in Dharamsala means England have lost seven of their last 12 Tests and are winless in three series.
And New Zealander McCullum said he had “learned more” about the team than ever during this trip.
“Sometimes we can work around the issue, but especially when exposed the way we've been on the back end of this series, we've put a lot of thought into it and made adjustments to make sure we stay true to it.” We need to do what we believe,” McCallum added.
“If anything, we became more timid as the series progressed and that was because of the pressure that was put on us by the Indian batting line-up.”
In a wide-ranging interview, McCallum covered a number of topics, saying:
- He and captain Ben Stokes are 'not afraid' of having tough conversations with players
- England need to 'consider' who will be first-choice wicketkeeper
- Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir could put pressure on Jack Leach to become England's number one spinner
- England will keep James Anderson in the team if he wants to continue playing
England's next Test series will be against the West Indies in July, before a home match against Sri Lanka later in the summer.
He plans to visit Pakistan and New Zealand next winter, followed by India in summer 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 wickets for India after Jonny Bairstow took the gloves in the Ashes match last summer.
Folks' glove skills were excellent, but his highest score with the bat was 47 points. Bairstow, who was playing his 100th Test in Dharamsala, also failed to complete a half-century.
If batsman Harry Brook, who missed the trip for personal reasons, returns to the side, the space is likely to be limited to either Foakes or Bairstow, or England will be forced to play with Durham's Ollie Robinson and Somerset's James. There is also a possibility that Lew and Surrey's Jamie Smith will be looked at.
“It will be sorted out in time,” said McCullum, who kept wickets in 52 of 101 Tests for New Zealand.
“We have time to make decisions going forward. Whatever decisions we make, we will invest and support them and give them the maximum amount of time to make it a success.” I will strive to do so.”
Lancashire's left-hander Hartley and Somerset's off-spinner Bashir were selected for the tour despite having limited first-class experience, but were given enhanced roles after Leach injured his knee in the first Test. had to be fulfilled.
Hartley, 24, finished the series as England's top wicket-taker, while Bashir, 20, had two five-wicket hauls in three Tests.
And McCullum said “everyone knows” the pair are competing with Leach for England's number one spot.
“Jack himself would understand that,” McCallum said. “This is a good place to be when you have depth and different types of options. We have to embrace that and there will be some challenging choices made throughout the summer.”
England used only three pace bowlers throughout the series: Anderson, Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson. Anderson is 41 years old and Wood is 34 years old. Robinson, 30, was disappointed in his only appearance at Ranchi.
35-year-old Chris Woakes will be considered in the summer at home, but with Stuart Broad retiring and the current first-choice pacers aging, England are looking to move forward with Matthew Potts, Gus There is a possibility that they will start investing in Atkinson, Josh Tan and others.
Anderson became the first pace bowler to reach 700 Test wickets with Dharamsala, but McCullum said the Lancashire man still had “hunger and desire”.
“I don't know what his next ambition is,” McCullum added. “If Jimmy wants to continue, given his age, the impact and speed of his bowling, the skills he has and the situations we will face over the next 18 months, we will. “Make sure you have him by your side. ”
England's relaxed approach has led to criticism that the environment is too cozy and failure is tolerated too easily.
Since McCullum and Stokes took over, only batsman Alex Lees has left the team for an extended period of time.
After the Dharamsala defeat, Stokes said anyone who excluded him or England would do so at their “own risk”, while McCullum said the manager and captain were “intensely competitive”.
“You all know I'm a pretty relaxed person, but I still have a fierce drive to make sure we get this team to where we want to get to,” he said.
“That will allow for some reflection over the next few weeks and then we will start to plan towards rectifying what happened here and becoming the team we are meant to be.
“We want to work in a really calm, fun and positive environment, but we don't think that means not having tough conversations when we need to.”