For months, England captain Ben Stokes has avoided talking about the Ashes in Australia as much as possible.
But after a Test match - and series - for the ages against India, even he is prepared to mention it and firmly believes his side are battle hardened after the draining series that finished in a chaotic defeat at The Oval on Monday.
More than 7000 runs were scored in the five Tests, but just when England were in need of fewer than 50 runs for the final five wickets, they lost. The last time that happened to them in a fourth innings while chasing victory was in 1902, against Australia at Old Trafford
