But England couldn’t break through. It was a feeling they had to get used to on Saturday morning. Stokes didn’t care for it. He had been functioning as less than himself over the last two years, his body coming in the way of his myth. The England captain used to be known for his ferocity with the ball in hand. And now, after hamstring surgery, it seems he will be able to carry on that persona.

For five overs, Stokes bombarded India. Twenty-six bouncers or back-of-a-length deliveries, many of them aimed at Pant, who was nursing an injured finger which seemed to behave itself except when Stokes was close and cranking his own pace up to 90mph.

It was at the tail-end of this little skirmish that India’s focus shifted from the team’s needs to an individual’s, and Stokes could feel it happening. He was hyperalert to Pant trying to pinch a single to cover and help Rahul get to his century before lunch. There was anger in the celebration of that run-out – itself an homage to Stokes’ athleticism as he swooped down on the ball, spun around and completed a markedly more difficult direct hit at the bowler’s end. He brought his cap to his mouth, a trick used to prevent the cameras from catching what you’re saying, even as the rest of the team rallied around him, and rose with him.

Rahul set the rhythm of this Test match. He was partly the cause of England’s frustration. He was the source of India’s calm. He secured their eighth century on tour, a new record. Repeatedly, he talks about the discrepancy between effort and reward, and when he does so, it is tempting to extrapolate he had learned that lesson the hardest way possible. Obsessing about his lack of success and doubling down on his prep work in search for a change.

At some point, though, Rahul realised he needed to let go, which is funny because, one time, in South Africa, he started speaking about how letting go of the ball was where his joy was. Bit by bit, his focus turned from scoring runs to just being the best batter he can be. Well, in this series, he has made two hundreds in three Tests, and as he scurried to this one, he took time for himself, running practically all the way to the boundary as he completed a quick single, and then looking up at the sky with closed eyes. Once again, it was tempting to imagine him looking back at all the struggle and telling himself it was worth it.