A few England players and a member of the support staff visited the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, the eve of their final Test against India.

Hartley Atkinson and Dan Lawrence were among the group of six players, including Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Hartley and Ollie Pope, besides assistant coach Marcus Trescothick, who paid their respects to the Dalai Lama at his residency in McLeodganj, around 10km from here, before the team’s afternoon practice session.

It has become something of a ritual to visit the Dalai Lama for touring teams. New Zealand players met the Tibetan spiritual leader during the ODI World Cup, besides Steve Smith’s Australia on their tour of 2017.

Smith had been ecstatic about their meeting and sought the Dalai Lama’s help for relaxation. “I asked him a question on sleep and how he could help me,” he had said. “Sometimes we go over the top when we play cricket.”