Joe Root warned England must find a way to cope with "world-class" Jasprit Bumrah at Old Trafford if they are to recover from a 157-run defeat to India in the fourth Test at The Kia Oval.
Bumrah took just two of the 10 wickets to fall on the final day as England progressed their overnight 77-0 to 100-0 before folding to 210 all out in pursuit of what would have been a record 368.
But Root pinpointed the fast bowler's post-lunch spell of 6-3-6-2, during which he rearranged the stumps of both Ollie Pope and Jonny Bairstow, as the "turning point" of a game in which all three results appeared possible when Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed brought up a century stand on the fifth morning.
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And managing Bumrah's 90mph bursts of reverse swing will be a priority when the final Test begins on Friday, with England 2-1 behind and needing a victory to avoid a second series defeat to Virat Kohli's side in 2021.
Root said: "It's frustrating not to be able to get something from the game today. We turned up this morning and really felt we had an opportunity to win the Test match - especially with that opening partnership, which was outstanding.
"Credit to India, they got the ball to reverse and they really made good use of that. It was a brilliant spell of bowling from Bumrah and that really was the turning point in the game.
"I think you've always got to find ways of getting better and managing different periods of play - absolutely - but at the same time you've got to be realistic about things and understand that was world-class bowling.
"He saw an opportunity in the game and performed extremely well. Sometimes you've got to find a way of managing through that period. There's a chance there might be some reverse swing at Old Trafford - we'll have to make sure we manage it better if we come across a similar situation."
The need to add something extra at key moments was a theme running through Root's analysis. Defeat for England came despite a first-innings advantage of 99 - not enough for the captain, who called on his side to hammer home their advantage when they get on top with the bat.
Pope, by his own admission, was "gutted" not to turn his 81 into a century, while Root, Dawid Malan, Bairstow and Moeen Ali were all dismissed when well set, with varying degrees of culpability.
The skipper said: "I think more than anything, what lead we had and what we could have potentially had - that's where we've got to be a little bit more ruthless in my opinion.
"We've got to make it a 200-run lead instead of a 100-run lead, especially with the way the surface was playing. It's about those big partnerships. We had a number of good starts, guys getting in who've not managed to go on. It's something we've still got to be clinical at, not get complacent, not get comfy.
"Go and make those big hundreds, big partnerships that really set a game up. which we did a week ago [at Headingley] - let's not forget that. We have played some very good cricket. It's important to remember that when we go to Old Trafford."
Catching is another area open to improvement - India centurion Rohit Sharma was among those reprieved in south London as a number of chances went down or were missed altogether in the slips.
"We've got to keep looking to get better and take those chances and we'll certainly do that," Root said. "It's not for lack of effort so you've just got to keep putting yourself in those positions."
England could have their closest current approximation of Bumrah, Mark Wood, available in Manchester after a shoulder problem, according to Root, who said: "Woody's coming good for us - that's promising."
Whether his potential return comes at the expense of James Anderson, who has played all four Tests at the age of 39, will be a matter for consideration over the next few days.
Root said: "We'll weigh everything up. We have to make sure physically he's in the right place to play a Test match. If he goes down injured that leaves us in a difficult place, not only for the Test but for the winter. But we've got to try and find a way of winning, too. It's a balancing act."
Wood is one of a number of England bowlers to struggle with injury this summer along with Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone - not to mention longer-term absentees Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
Root said: "It has been a frustrating summer in terms of the number of injuries we've had to contend with, there's no getting away from that. It's not an excuse, but it's something that's been difficult to manage."