The batsman hit the bowler straight back over his head, a sweetly timed, powerfully struck shot that surely ranked among the biggest seen in these conditions. It will never be known how far it might have travelled – a six surely, but into the stands or out of the stadium? – because of the wall in the way. As it was, the ball bounced off brick and into the outstretched hand of the fielder standing in a position that somehow combined silly mid-off with long-off. One hand one bounce. The batter was gone. It was the best action the spectators got all day at Trent Bridge. For most of Sunday – excluding two tantalising patches of sunshine – the wet conditions confined the optimistic fans who stuck around to whatever shelter they could find. Umbrellas, awnings and bars came into play – even the huddled trio of chairs under the stairwell in the Radcliffe Road Stand known as the Hadlee Waiting Area, long assumed to be an existential joke understood only by the Notts faithful. And here, on the concourse, where a man called Sunit had constructed a wicket from rucksacks and got the passing kids playing with a soft ball and a plastic bat. No batter made more than five runs in the makeshift session but, to be fair, they were constrained by a leg-theory field. Also, batters had to retire at five. Gathered parents witnessed a couple of smart caught-and-bowleds and the even more remarkable sight of two stewards walking across the wicket. Sunit, who coaches kids in the All Stars programme, managed them with charm and discretion, and they walked on without calling a halt. Guerrilla cricket: the ECB outreach team’s dream. Even after a wet draw at Trent Bridge there is reason to hope this series could be just as good an advert for the game – a slow-burning complement to the Hundred’s hard sell. No one is pretending it would not have been better, fairer and more entertaining to both sides to have witnessed a nerve-clenching fifth-day outcome to this match. But the unsatisfactory outcome, not to mention Joe Root’s almost solo hand in securing it, sets things up intriguingly for the four Tests to come. From the very first over, when Jasprit Bumrah booby-trapped Rory Burns for a duck, these four days have been a scintillating refresher for anyone feeling alienated by the Hundred hype or robbed of their favourite flavour of the game. Even the rare slower phases, when the finger might have been tempted to stray to the remote, have contained all the chess moves, feints and stratagems that Test fans love about the game. For long periods the Dukes ball swung like a minor aristocrat from the 1920s and seamed like a Singer sewing machine. Steely openers faced down the difficult conditions with patient resolve – even if, a little unexpectedly, they were India’s. And as if to a TV scheduler’s wishes, Sam Curran twice strode to the crease in the primetime afternoon television slot and gave a high-tempo performance. Neither side’s batting lineup has yet shown what it may be capable of but there has been plenty here to suggest an evenly weighted and frankly tasty encounter stretching across the next six weeks. One fascinating question, after the festival feel at Trent Bridge, is what kind of a spirit the rest of the contest will be fought in. Both captains have spoken in the past week about the importance of enjoying the sport they play. Virat Kohli said before the match that he had learned to embrace his expressive side but also to be mindful of the opportunity each moment on the field presented. “To make every ball count” were his actual words, although it is possible he had been subliminally programmed to repeat the Hundred’s brand messaging. Root, meanwhile, was inspired enough by his own day-four team-talk – encouraging his batters to remember how much fun batting actually was – that he scored a splendid and match-saving century. His captaincy has had to absorb any number of unexpected blows over the past couple of years but sometimes words can set one free and his joy at the crease on Saturday was undeniable. The sight of the two captains joking about Kohli’s burned reviews, or leaving the field together, laughing and smiling, was one for Spirit of Cricket acolytes to savour. But there has been plenty of fire in the middle, too. Ollie Robinson showed no deference to anyone in his second Test, and was happy to bring the heat to India’s batsmen with words as well as short balls. James Anderson shoulder-barged Mohammed Siraj on Thursday, and on Saturday, Siraj got stuck into England’s lower order in return. The fact that he gave Jonny Bairstow a finger-to-the-lips send-off can only suggest that they responded in kind. It’s a curious situation when Kohli is the man telling his fielders to calm down. Will tempers shorten further as the series goes on? How long can the good vibes last? The stakes are high for both teams. Whatever’s coming, it should be fun to watch.