England cricket team meet with Dalai Lama ahead of Dharamshala clash

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama with members of the English cricket team. Credit: Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama via AP

England cricket team players met with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, ahead of their fifth and final test match against India in Dharamshala, a new photo shows.

Members of the team met with the spiritual leader at his residence in McLeod Ganj, as both the England and India teams arrived for their match.

During the first stint of the test, England reached lunch on 100 for two, with Crawley 61 not out, as the tourists bid for a consolation win, with India in an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Ben Stokes has suspected the pitch would be “absolutely belting” for batting so had little hesitation at what to do upon winning the toss, allowing Shoaib Bashir a little more time at convalescence after missing Wednesday’s final practice because of an upset stomach.

Ollie Robinson was back at the team hotel and with England down to 13 players, assistant coaches and ex-internationals Marcus Trescothick, 48, and Paul Collingwood, 47, were listed among the substitute fielders.

The cooler conditions in the foothills of the Himalayas initially aided India’s seamers and especially Bumrah, who went past the outside edge on a number of occasions

Batter Jonny Bairstow will win his 100th cap, becoming the 17th England man to reach the milestone in Test cricket. For India, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will also mark a century of Test caps.

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