It was surprising yet inevitable. India, chasing 245 for victory to square the series 2-2 at The Ageas Bowl, were looking comfortable at 123-3 thanks to the middle-order duo of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. However, they collapsed, losing 7-61 and the dream that was drawing close ended up crashing and burning.

Kohli’s men have offered plenty of promise in this series and England have been far from convincing. Were it not for Sam Curran’s heroics at Edgbaston, the first Test would have been India’s and after being hammered at Lord’s, the away side came roaring back at Trent Bridge, before losing another close encounter in Southampton. They were nearly there and on several occasions looked the better side, yet still find themselves 3-1 down.

Then we have the issue of Test match pitches. In 2016, the ICC Cricket Committee, headed by former India Test captain Anil Kumble, expressed their dissatisfaction over the quality of Test pitches “and in particular the common practice of home countries overtly preparing surfaces to suit their own teams”. It was made clear that there would be discussions held in the future over how to prevent home teams from preparing pitches that would significantly benefit their chances in Test matches.

But at the moment, Test matches are too predictable. Home advantage has gone too far and changes are needed. The future of Test cricket depends on it.