After England suffered a demoralising innings and 36 run defeat in the fourth Test against India in Mumbai - a result which ensured that the hosts would win the best-of-five series - the final clash in Chennai was regarded as an opportunity to end a disappointing run of form in the longer format of the game. However, what transpired at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium proved to be just another reminder of how far Alastair Cook's team had fallen behind their rivals in the five-day arena at a time when they should be excited about the chance to show their credentials over 50 overs after Christmas.
In the aftermath of another capitulation with the bat, captain Cook was asked whether his team had stagnated over the last 12 months, his reply simply an acknowledgement that it "was a fair comment". England had began 2016 with Ben Stokes producing a revolutionary knock of 258 - the fastest double century by an England batsman and the second quickest in the history of the sport - against South Africa, while he combined with Jonny Bairstow to form a partnership of 399 - the biggest sixth-wicket partnership in Test cricket. It was a performance which no doubt attracted new admirers to the format of the game which is considered the least appealing to the casual viewer but England will head into next year struggling to give supporters any reason for optimism ahead of meetings with South Africa and Australia.
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England did not reach a new low when losing 10 wickets for 104 runs on the final day in Chennai - that after Cook and Keaton Jennings had put together a resolute opening stand of 103 in 39 overs - but the manner in which they conceded victory to India only leaves question marks over the mentality of the current team. More than half of the side have contributed batting knocks or bowling spells which have troubled opposition which is brimming with confidence but it is how they have performed when the chips are down which will worry their faithful supporters the most.
The three sessions on Tuesday should have been about sending a message that they were willing to fight for their country - and for Cook - when the rewards were minimal but instead, many of England's lineup painted a picture that they were happy and relieved to be heading home for Christmas. While Cook will inevitably come in for criticism for his showings with the bat - especially the shot that cost him a half-century and started the collapse - but despite some calling for a resignation, is the influence of Cook really the stand-out issue? Some will argue that the 31-year-old should be getting more out of his team if he was the leader which he has previously shown to be but Cook can do little to prevent some of the mistakes which were made during the 83 overs on the concluding day. Moeen Ali's hoick to mid-on would have produced the most frustrated of sighs, as would none of the final four batsmen scoring more than two runs.
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However, to put a positive spin on what has turned out to be a near disastrous six months in Test cricket - at least that is it until July. After a home stalemate with Pakistan, a hugely disappointing draw in Bangladesh and a one-sided hammering from India, England now start their preparations for next summer's ICC Champions Trophy with six one-day internationals against India and unlike with the Tests, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that they can come away from the matches without suffering a series defeat in India for the first time since 2002, when they claimed two narrow wins in order to claim an almost miraculous 3-3 draw.
England may have gone three Test series without success but they have only lost one of their last five 50-over series - which came by a 3-2 scoreline in South Africa. They have thrashed both Sri Lanka and Pakistan on home territory and ground out a victory in Bangladesh, which is no small feat given the rapid progression that the minnows are making in all areas of the game. Make no mistake about it, England will be huge underdogs when they return to the field in January but lovers of cricket betting would be well advised to give England serious interest at some high-value odds. It only takes an explosive knock from the likes of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler or Moeen to take a game away from any team in the world and with the cricket odds available for them to do so, it is an offer that is probably too good to turn down.
