In his latest Sky Sports column, Jack Leach reflects on a tough series in India, the positives for England, trying to emulate Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar and looks ahead to the rest of an exciting year, culminating in the Ashes…
It was definitely not the result we wanted in the fourth Test and it's been a very tough series - but one we need to use to our advantage in the long run.
It does not get much harder than playing India in India and for a lot of the boys, myself included, it was our first time here so it was a really big challenge for us. It's never nice to lose any series but I think we have to turn it into a positive as we move forward and learn from certain things.
There were a lot of new experiences for a lot of us and it is so different to the conditions and pitches we play on in England. That's great and part of being successful away from is learning and adapting to different conditions; the best sides in the world are those that do that best.
We have won three Test matches out of six this winter, it was the first three so it feels a while ago now but we have to look at it as a whole and remember that we are still a good team with good players. Just because we have had some bad experiences in the last few weeks, doesn't mean we're bad players. I think we will be better for this experience and that is the really important thing.
The heat, the difference in the pitches, that's something we wanted to experience and learn to do well in; it's not something that we will shy away from, it's just very different to what we are used to.
Personally, I have taken some real confidence from this tour; I have felt really threatening and able to really build pressure and take wickets.
There have been some other parts of the game where I felt I have probably come up a little bit short but that's all right, I think; that is something for me to go away and reflect on.
I would like to improve bowling over the wicket to left-handers, I actually felt good to India's top order, they have five right-handers and then three left-handers lower down the order, all good batters, and I think that is where I became a little bit less threatening.
That is something that I will put some work into and I also felt more dangerous when the ball was newer, as it got older and softer, it reacts similarly out of the pitch most balls so it is just about having subtle changes; that is something that Ashwin and Axar Patel do very well, actually missing the seam and getting balls to skid.
I think I got better at that, in the third and fourth Tests I was doing it quite nicely - it felt like I was learning on the job a little bit and I was really pleased that I was able to rise to the level and learn as I went along, make little adaptations to what I was doing and try to be successful.
I was taking four, five, six wickets a game but how you can change that to eight or nine wickets a game? The challenge for me is to find a way turn 4-80 into 6-40. I feel like I will be much better prepared next time just from having done it before.
With Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, it was the second series that they played in India that they won so I look at that, think about the experiences that I have had, the confidence that I have gained from it and I think it is very exciting, not only the prospect of coming back here at some stage but also the cricket that is to come back in the next few months and beyond.
Most of my cricket is not played in India so now I need to go back to England and be effective there, which might involve coming over the top of the ball a bit more, so there might be slight changes to how I bowl.
I have definitely given the Ashes some thought, too. Playing in such an exciting series at home in 2019 has given me some great moments and it makes me even more desperate to be part of a squad touring down under.
Steve Davies is my best mate at Somerset and he was the reserve wicketkeeper when England won in Australia back in 2010/11, he has got so many fond memories of going there and it is definitely something I aspire to and I believe I can be successful out there.
Of course, it will be very different to bowling in India, perhaps more similar to bowling in England but again, it will be about adapting to conditions.
We have got two big series at home before that though, against New Zealand and India, arguably the two best teams in the world given they are in the World Test Championship final, so we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball and just think about Australia.
Both those teams will give us a great challenge and if we do well, it will give us a lot of confidence for the Ashes. Hopefully, we will be playing in front of a crowd in those series as well which would be great.
We do not know yet whether we will be in bubbles over the summer, it could be just for New Zealand and not for the India series or it might be all summer, we just have to take it as it comes.
Either way, just playing one format, I feel like it is manageable to be available for all Test matches and I am keen to play as much as possible. With every Test match that I play, I learn more and I'm gaining more confidence.
Before that, I have got a couple of weeks off to chill. It's important to recognise that the last couple of months will have taken it out of us physically and mentally so we need a bit of downtime - it will be nice to see my girlfriend and my dog again!
Then I will get back into training with the Somerset boys to be ready for that first County Championship game, I think there are seven or eight games before the first Test so I am looking forward to playing some solid cricket.
Having missed a lot of cricket in the last 18 months before these games through illness and stuff, I am just really enjoying being out there and playing, that is what we want to do and I have really missed it.
I am fortunate to know that I am eligible for a COVID vaccine when I get back to England too, so it will be good to have it done.
My health has been a bit rubbish over the last couple of years so getting through all these Tests recently with not many issues, feeling pretty fit and healthy, has been another confidence boost. So I will get the COVID jab and we can look forward to some more normal times ahead, hopefully!
Watch England's five-match T20I series in India live on Sky Sports. Our build-up to the first game starts at 12.30pm on Friday on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.
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