Jonny Bairstow launched a robust defence of England’s rest and rotation policy and the right of top players to go to the Indian Premier League.
Bairstow is back with England’s red-ball squad after his own period at home and watched from the seclusion of his quarantine in a Chennai hotel room as the aftermath of the second Test defeat degenerated into a shemozzle over selection.
And the puzzle became even more complex on Thursday when it was revealed Sam Curran will now miss the whole of the Test series while Chris Woakes will head for home after next week’s third Test.