India, July 13 -- Brendon McCullum received support from Ben Stokes after the former was sacked as England's Test coach. Ahead of the first ODI against India, the former New Zealand captain revealed that Stokes reached out to him after he was asked to vacate the role. On Sunday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that McCullum would leave the Test role and only remain at the helm in white-ball cricket.

Under McCullum, England failed to win a single Test series against India and Australia. The series defeat against New Zealand proved to be the final nail in the coffin, and McCullum's position became untenable.

Earlier, Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket, making the call just before the end of the ...