Right, said Fred, we’ll give it our best shot

Flintoff’s first tour of India was a forgettable one (though his opposing captain remembered a certain shirt-stripping incident in Mumbai). Back in 2001-02 Flintoff was still a youngster learning the ropes.

In retrospect, he says, he wouldn’t have done a lot of things he did during that tour, which is something he wants to remind the newcomers this time around. ‘‘There’s an opportunity for them,’’ he says.

And for him, too. Flintoff has captained his county, Lancashire, on occasion and even led a tour game for England in Sri Lanka. The experience may not be enough when it comes to leading the national team, but the all-rounder is confident. ‘‘I’ll do my best to go ahead with what we had been planning’’, he said in typically phlegmatic style.

He has a keen sense of history and will be aware that all England have achieved over the past few years could dissipate with a second consecutive bad series (after the Pakistan failure). He calls this ‘‘Michael’s team’’ and will no doubt make a determined effort to continue Vaughan’s legacy.

He also has a sense of responsibility: The first thing he did after Vaughan failed his fitness test at the VCA Stadium this morning was to call his wife Rachel. He was due to return in late March, some time before the Third Test, for the birth of their second child but told her today of his decision to stay on.

‘‘She listened to me and was very supportive of what I told her,’’ he said.