India Cricket

India will embark on a five-Test series against England next week, looking to banish the painful memories of the nation's last trip to English shores in 2011. 

On that occasion, the visitors were dealt a 4-0 hammering from a rampant home side, marking one of the darkest periods in India's cricketing history. 

Additionally, MS Dhoni's men come to England seeking their first Test victory outside of India in three years, highlighting the enormity of the task facing the tourists this summer.

But are there any positives for India to build on ahead of the series? Is there any evidence to suggest that India are capable of upsetting the hosts to claim a famous series victory?

Below is a collection of data hinting that a Pataudi Trophy triumph is possible for Dhoni's team. 

  

Misconception of India's Record in England 

Although India's tour of England in 2011 contained a ludicrously lopsided Test series, the team's history on English shores is actually quite respectable. 

In the seven series contested between the two nations in England between 1979 and 2007, the visitors left triumphant on two occasions (1986 and 2007) and earned a series draw in another (2002).

Additionally, the four series that India lost in that period all finished at 1-0, emphasising the fact that—excluding the disaster of 2011—India haven't been blown away in England at all.

Year	Mat	Wins	Draws	Losses
1979	4	0	3	1
1982	3	0	2	1
1986	3	2	1	0
1990	3	0	2	1
1996	3	0	2	1
2002	4	1	2	1
2007	3	1	2	0
TOTALS	23	4	14	5

The record above also disputes the concept that India must regularly claim 20 English wickets to win the series.

Given that 14 of the last 23 Tests contested by the teams in England have resulted in a draw, it's possible that India could win this summer's series with one victory and four draws, thereby capturing the trophy despite only bowling England out twice in one Test. 

India's New Generation

India's abysmal record in Tests away from home since mid-2011 (10 losses and four draws) has led many to believe that Dhoni's men stand little chance in England this summer. 

Missing the nation's previous generation of batting superstars and lacking incisive bowlers, the Indian team, on paper, doesn't appear to pose the same threat that some of the country's previous outfits once did.

However, much of India's dire form away from home in recent years can be traced back to the nation's uncomfortable transition from one era to another.

Despite the need for an injection of youth, India persisted with the ageing batting core of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman. Even as the cornerstones of the team began to show signs of slowing down, the reluctance to move on the country's heroes cost India dearly when playing away from home—particularly in England in 2011 and in Australia in 2011-12. 

Player	Mat	Runs	Ave	Career Ave
Rahul Dravid	12	1,013	50.65	52.63
VVS Laxman	12	694	34.70	45.97
Sachin Tendulkar	21	1,145	31.80	53.78
Virender Sehwag	17	892	29.73	49.43

India's capacity to win Tests away from home has always been dependant on the team's ability to compile massive totals and bat their opponents out of the game. As the records above show, India simply weren't able to do that during the decline of the nation's superstars between 2011 and 2013.

Now, however, India have arrived on the other side of that transition, having replaced the superstar quartet with a younger collection of supreme talents. 

And whereas the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag and Laxman were trending the wrong way in the latter stages of their careers, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara are beginning to reverse the fortunes of India's perennial strength—the middle order. 

Player	Mat	Runs	Ave	100s
Ajinkya Rahane	4	371	61.83	1
Virat Kohli	6	546	60.66	2
Rohit Sharma	6	455	56.87	2
Cheteshwar Pujara	6	470	47.00	2

Declining England

Since capturing the 2013 Ashes series with victory at Chester-le-Street last August, Alastair Cook's England have endured a truly horrific run of form, recording six losses and two draws in their last eight Tests to suffer the nation's longest winless streak since 1996-97. 

Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses
12	3	3	6

But England's decline goes well beyond results.

From a statistical standpoint, Cook's side has been outplayed in every aspect of the game, even when the 2013 Ashes triumph at home is included. 

For an outfit that rose to prominence on the back of meticulous planning and data analysis, the following numbers make for rather dire reading.  

Statistic	For	Against
Runs	6,470	7,292
100s	10	17
Wickets	205	222
5WIs	9	9
400+ Scores	1	6

While India's transition to a new era is beginning to give evidence that it's trending upward (reflected by the batting statistics above), the same can't be said for England in the first phase of a similar transition. 

England's Contrasting Preparations for 2011 and 2014 Series vs. India

As alluded to previously, England's annihilation of India in 2011 had a profound effect on the way the public perceived the Indians' capacity to succeed away from home and the team's eagerness—or lack thereof—to compete in unfamiliar surrounds. 

But it needs to be recognised that India's visit to English shores that year represented something of a perfect storm for the home side.

At a time when the tourists were enduring the initial stages of decline, Andy Flower's England were surging to almost unprecedented levels with a new-found and unrelenting excellence. 

Indeed, examining the records of England's players in the 12 months prior to that 2011 series reveals how rampant Andrew Strauss' team had been in the lead up to that summer.

Player	Mat	Runs	Ave	100s
Ian Bell	8	660	110.00	3
Alastair Cook	12	1,323	77.82	6
Jonathan Trott	12	1,116	74.40	4
Matt Prior	12	616	51.33	3
Kevin Pietersen	12	662	41.37	1
Eoin Morgan	7	343	38.11	1
Andrew Strauss	12	489	28.76	1

Player	Mat	Wkts	Ave
James Anderson	11	54	21.18
Chris Tremlett	6	32	23.37
Graeme Swann	12	49	23.44
Steven Finn	8	31	29.06
Stuart Broad	9	24	36.58

It was no surprise then that it was Ian Bell, Cook and Kevin Pietersen who thumped 1,385 runs between them in that series to utterly humiliate India's bowlers.

With a wealth of bowling options to chose from, too, it also wasn't surprising that England's seamers regularly ripped through the tourists' batting line-up, with James Anderson (21 wickets) continuing his brilliant form and Stuart Broad (25 wickets) elevating his game to take the team's attack to a new level.

Now, compare those numbers to the records of England's players in the 12 months leading up to this summer's series.

Of those who've played more than three Tests, only Bell and Joe Root are averaging in excess of 40 with the bat, while with the ball, only Broad is claiming his wickets at less than 30 runs apiece.

Player	Mat	Runs	Ave	100s
Moeen Ali	2	162	54.00	1
Gary Ballance	3	226	45.20	1
Sam Robson	2	171	42.75	1
Ian Bell	12	934	42.45	3
Joe Root	11	790	41.57	2
Ben Stokes	4	279	34.87	1
Alastair Cook	12	601	25.04	0
Matt Prior	10	379	23.68	0

Player	Mat	Wkts	Ave
Stuart Broad	12	50	28.48
Liam Plunkett	2	11	30.09
James Anderson	12	48	31.75
Ben Stokes	4	15	32.80
Chris Jordan	2	5	54.60
Moeen Ali	2	3	60.33

Quite simply, unlike in 2011, when England entered their series with India on the back of blistering form, Cook's men are carrying scarcely anything—other than a string of poor performances—into this summer's encounter.

The 1st Test: India's Opportunity 

With England in the midst of a tumultuous period that has witnessed a wave of public apathy for the team, India's best chance to grab the initiative of the series lies in the opening Test at Trent Bridge. 

Fresh from slumping to defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, England will enter this summer's five-Test campaign without the sense of superiority they've carried into most series for the better part of five years.

India, therefore, will be delighted to be catching the hosts amid such circumstances, boosting the visitors' chances of seizing an early lead. 

And if Dhoni's men take a quick look at England's series record at home after losing the opening Test, they'll genuinely believe the Pataudi Trophy is there for the taking. 

1st Test Losses	Series Wins	Series Draws	Series Losses
23	4	3	16

Combine those numbers with the others already presented and an Indian victory in England this summer isn't as unlikely as it may seem. 

All statistics and match data courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo. 

India completed their preparations for next week's first Test with England after beating  Derbyshire by five wickets on the final day of their last warm-up fixture on Thursday.

Both sides had already agreed to evenly split the third day so that the tourists could enjoy 45 overs of both batting and bowling in front of what turned out to be a sparse crowd at the County Ground.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher will ultimately have been pleased with what they got out of their three days in Derby.

In particular, Dhoni will have been relieved that experienced fast bowler Ishant Sharma—who is expected to be handed the responsibility of taking the new ball at Trent Bridge next Thursday—appeared in much better rhythm than on the first day, when he was bedevilled by no-ball problems, as the lanky paceman delivered seven overs at a cost of just 10 runs.

India actually made the perfect start to the morning session when Bhuvneshwar Kumar had Derbyshire opener Ben Slater caught by Murali Vijay at second slip in just the third over of the day to leave Derbyshire none for one, Dhoni having declared overnight 15 runs ahead of the home side.

However, India managed to capture only two more wickets thereafter as middle-order batsman Billy Godleman made his second unbeaten half-century of the match before Derbyshire declared on 156 for three from their allotted 45 overs, with the 25-year-old 56 not out off 86 balls.

India therefore needed 142 runs to win from their 45 overs, which they achieved at a canter thanks to a breezy 41 off just 53 deliveries from Vijay at the top of the order, including eight fours, and 39 from No. 3 Ajinkya Rahane, with six boundary fours, before both men retired in order to give their team-mates some time in the middle.

And that even meant a knock for the previously unseen Gautam Gambhir, whose 21 not out coming in at No. 6 saw the tourists achieve their victory target with eight-and-a-half overs still left in their second innings.

Now all Dhoni and Fletcher need to do is settle on the makeup of their final XI for Nottingham.

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India enjoyed yet another useful workout ahead of the start of the first Test with England next week as their batsmen compiled 341-6 on the second day of their final warm-up fixture against Derbyshire at the County Ground.

The tourists batted for 91 overs after Derbyshire skipper Chesney Hughes had opted to declare on his side’s overnight score of 326 for five. However, India made a sluggish start to the morning’s play after losing both openers inside the first 10 overs.

Murali Vijay was the first to depart after being trapped lbw for just six, before his partner Shikhar Dhawan then fell for the same score after pushing at a wide ball from the impressive Ben Cotton and was caught behind the wicket to leave his team struggling on 18 for two.

That, though, turned out to be the high point of the day for Derbyshire as rock-solid No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara then set about rebuilding India’s innings either side of lunch in partnership with first Virat Kohli and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (pictured).

In fact, Pujara and his captain shared in the biggest stand of the day as the pair added 119 runs for the fourth wicket after that man Cotton had bowled the dangerous Kohli for 36 early in the afternoon session.

Dhoni's contribution to the partnership was a quickfire 46 from just 56 balls, with four fours and a six, only for the wicketkeeper to be bowled trying to deposit David Wainwright out of the ground after being deceived in the flight by the slow left-armer.

And after the in-form Pujara then decided to retire for the second match in a row having made an attractive 81, including 13 fours, in order to give the rest of the Indian batting lineup some time in the middle, all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny both proceeded to push their claims for a starting spot against England at Trent Bridge next Thursday.

The duo had put on 88 together in an entertaining and boundary-laden sixth-wicket partnership before the left-handed Jadeja (45) fell to an outstanding diving catch at short-extra cover by Mark Turner to hand Wainwright his second wicket of the day.

However, Binny remained unbeaten on 81 at the close, made from just 111 deliveries with nine boundary fours and two sixes, as the 30-year-old also put his name in the hat for a possible Test debut at Nottingham.

Equally, though, Gautam Gambhir's chances of playing at Trent Bridge next week now look over after the experienced batsman was overlooked on a day in which even Ajinkya Rahane came in to bat at No. 8 while adding 53 for the seventh wicket with Binny.

Now the tourists have just 90 more overs on the final day to get their preparations right for the first Test, with it expected that those will be split evenly so as to allow India's players sufficient time both to bat and bowl on Thursday after Dhoni declared their first innings at the close.

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India's bowlers enjoyed a useful workout in their final warm-up match before the first Test against England at Trent Bridge, which gets underway a week on Thursday, as Derbyshire racked up 326 for five on Day 1 at the County Ground.

The tourists, who drew with Leicestershire in their first fixture of the tour last week, once again opted to utilise all 18 players against a side currently sitting second from bottom in Division Two of the County Championship.

And after winning the toss, India captain MS Dhoni chose to field first in order to give his crop of pacemen and spinners a much-needed run-out after rain restricted them to just 62 overs at Grace Road, with the skipper going on to use nine different bowlers in the 90 overs on the first day.

Worryingly for Dhoni and head coach Duncan Fletcher, it was only really Ravindra Jadeja who caused any problems at all for the home batsmen on what was a good pitch, with the slow left-armer ending up with impressive figures of two for 27 from his 11 overs.

The morning had begun brightly for India, however, when Derbyshire opener Paul Borrington was neatly caught low down at second slip by Ajinkya Rahane off the bowling of Pankaj Singh for a 17-ball duck in just the sixth over of the day to leave the home side on nine for one.

Borrington's opening partner Ben Slater fared much better, though, as the 22-year-old left-hander brought up an attractive half-century in the first session with his ninth boundary four, before then becoming one of Jadeja's two victims either side of the interval, with Derbyshire skipper Chesney Hughes his first having been bowled for 23 on the stroke of lunch.

Derbyshire 1st Innings 326 for 5 (90.0 overs)

And when Alex Hughes then had his leg stump rearranged by Ishwar Pandey for just one, Derbyshire suddenly found themselves in trouble on 115 for four, only for Billy Godleman and Wes Durston to share in an impressive fifth-wicket stand of 124.

It was the latter who led the way by blasting a quick-fire 95 from only 90 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, as the tourists' plethora of bowlers were made to look distinctly ordinary, and none more so than experienced paceman Ishant Sharma.

Ishant, who is set to take the new ball for India in Nottingham next week, struggled again as he had also done at Grace Road, with the lanky fast bowler delivering 12 innocuous overs at a cost of 49 overs, including eight no-balls in his first spell during the morning session.

In the end, however, Durston's fine knock came to a rather tame finish after the right-handed batsman was caught and bowled by medium pacer Stuart Binny to leave Derbyshire on 239 for five, although No. 4 Godleman and 17-year-old wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein then proceeded to add 87 more runs without any further alarms.

Hosein, who was making his first-team debut for the county, made an eye-catching unbeaten 53, with the youngster bringing up his half-century by pulling Dhoni—the India skipper had decided to bring himself on to bowl the final over of the day—to the boundary for the eighth four of his innings.

And at the other end, Godleman was not out, too, having made a patient 67 from 159 deliveries in a knock that also contained eight fours to leave the hosts in a strong position at the close of play.

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India inaugurated their two-and-a-half-month tour of England with a rain-curtailed draw in a three-day match against Leicestershire, ahead of their five-Test series against England beginning on July 9.

The Indians were allowed to use all of their 18 squad members for the match, of course with just 11 men batting and fielding. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did just that as he provided valuable match practice to an inexperienced squad, of which only three, including himself, have played Test cricket in England before.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first on a track that didn't seem to offer much for the bowlers, the Indians would've been pleased with Day 1 of the match, in which their batsmen piled on 333 for four declared.

Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir and Cheteshwar Pujara all got half-centuries before Dhawan retired hurt with a blow to his hand, while the other two retired out. The minor injury to the Indian opener would have been the tourists' only concern following the first day's play.

However, the Indians would do well to not read too much into their batsmen's prowess against a side that languishes at the bottom of Division Two of the County Championship and against pace bowlers who weren't part of Leicestershire's first team.

The challenges put forward by James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Jordan on more helpful surfaces are bound to provide a sterner test for the visitors, whose batting is clearly their strength.

While the Indians would have good memories from a successful ICC Champions Trophy in England last summer, none of their top six batsmen expected to feature at Trent Bridge have played Test cricket in England and can expect to attract all the spotlight.

However, facing Messrs Anderson and Broad would be the least of India's concerns after how the next two days of the game panned out. The second day was a complete washout and a total waste of 90 overs of playing time for the visitors. It would only go further south on Day 3.

It was no secret that India's bowling would be their banana skin on this tour as it has been for a while. The selectors tried their best to cover up the chinks by loading as many as seven medium-pace and fast bowlers in the touring party, along with two spin-bowling all-rounders.

Dhoni gave a run to all nine bowlers on the third and final day, but to no avail as Leicestershire responded with 349 for five before play was called off.

The hosts were in no mood to retire their batsmen after getting to their half-centuries, as opener Angus Robson emulated his older brother Sam in getting a century against a Test side. Leicestershire No. 3 Greg Smith also scored a run-a-ball ton as the duo toyed with the Indian bowling attack.

So listless were the Indians in the field that their most experienced bowler, Ishant Sharma, who has played 55 Tests, was the subject of ridicule from a bunch of Indian fans at Grace Road.

Sharma went for 64 in the nine overs that he bowled, whose only saving grace were the two wickets he picked up in three balls in his final over. Before that, he struggled with his line and length and delivered as many as seven no-balls. ESPNcricinfo's Nagraj Gollapudi reported:

As he [Sharma] retreated to long leg Indian fans were not afraid to offer some advice. "Put some effort. Bend down," one fan shouted. As he lined up to deliver another over, Ishant would not have missed the annoying scream coming from the crowd: "How many fours are you going to give this over?"

The rest of the Indian bowlers have the excuse of hiding behind the curtain of inexperience, but that isn't going to help them come July 9. In overcast conditions, one would expect the bowlers to hold the advantage, but unfortunately for the tourists that wasn't to be.

None of the Indian bowlers apart from Sharma had played with a red ball in England and the inexperience shined bright as they constantly erred in finding the right line, length and movement to make the batsmen play.

Gollapudi reported:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose primary strength is swing, struggled to find the right length throughout his solitary spell of seven overs which went for 46 runs including ten fours, all of which came at the hands of an aggressive Robson. Later Robson said that he took advantage of the fuller lengths Bhuvneshwar bowled while attempting to swing the ball.

Pankaj [Singh], along with Mohammad Shami and later Varun Aaron, were the pick of the Indian bowlers as the trio bowled at a good pace and created some doubts for the batsmen.

The hapless Indian bowling got some words of encouragement from their tormentor, Robson, in the post-match press conference, as reported by The Guardian:

I think they [the Indian bowlers] got a bit more tired as they’ve gone on. It is just a warm-up game for them, so they’re still feeling their way into conditions and will probably be better for the run—and I’m sure they’ll keep improving.

The Indians have one more tour game against Derbyshire starting Tuesday to rectify their mistakes. The tourists have since appointed a former batsman of legendary status, Rahul Dravid, as their mentor for the tour, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Dravid was India's only silver lining in a disastrous tour of England three years ago, but even his three centuries could not prevent a 4-0 whitewash at the hands of Andrew Strauss's men. The Indians will look to profit from Dravid's presence and tactical acumen, but from the Leicestershire game it is clear that what the tourists require more dearly is a bowling coach with some experience of playing in England.

India have probably arrived at the best possible time to avenge their back-to-back Test series defeats at the hands of England. Alastair Cook's men are coming into the series on the back of their first-ever home series defeat against Sri Lanka, which followed a 5-0 humiliation in the Ashes Down Under. Like the Indians, England are also a side in transition.

However, before India begin to garner dreams of revenge or the likes, they should stick to getting their basics right, such as bowling in the right areas and making use of the conditions. They could learn from the Sri Lankans, whose bowling line-up wasn't the greatest to tour the country, but were tactically prepared and made the best of what was at their disposal.

India’s tour match against Leicestershire petered out to a draw as the weather affected proceedings once again at Grace Road.

The hosts would enjoy a successful day with the bat, as Angus Robson and Greg Smith both made centuries, while India’s bowlers looked a little out of form.

Having lost the second day to rain, the visitors declared overnight on 333-4 to leave their bowlers the final day to find their rhythm.

Robson started aggressively for Leicestershire, but the hosts saw their captain Matthew Boyce depart early as he was caught by Ajinkya Rahane off Pankaj Singh for just four.

However, Robson and No. 3 Smith continued to play their shots, with the former in particular looking in very good touch against a bowling attack struggling a little.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was hit for 10 fours by the 22-year-old Robson as he rampaged his way to 45 not out before lunch.

Smith was also keeping pace, and in the 13 overs that were possible before an early break due to more rain, Leicestershire were in a good position at 73-1.

When play resumed, Robson quickly brought up his fifty and then helped his side bring up 100 as they maintained a rate of around five runs per over.

Ishant Sharma suffered especially, as his first four overs disappeared for 41 before being removed from the attack and replaced by Stuart Binny.

After taking their team past 150, Smith then brought up his own half-century as the pair continued to take a liking to the Indian bowling.

Leicestershire 1st Innings	India 1st Innings 333-4 dec.
Total		349-5	62 overs
Batsman	Dismissal	Bowler	Runs	Mins	Balls
A. Robson	Retired out		126	195	146
M. Boyce	c Rahane	b Pankaj Singh	4	33	20
G. Smith	Retired out		101	162	102
D. Redfern	c Ashwin	b I Sharma	58	55	55
M. Thornely	Not Out		23	70	51
T. Wells	c R Sharma	b I Sharma	0	2	2
S. Thakor	Not Out		10	11	7
Extras	11nb 15lb 1b		27
Bowler	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets
B. Kumar	7	1	46	0
Pankaj Singh	11	3	46	1
I. Sharma	9	0	64	2
Mohammed Shami	6	1	25	0
S. Binny	4	0	22	0
V. Aaron	6	0	31	0
I. Pandey	5	1	31	0
R. Jadeja	11	2	57	0
C. Pujara	1	0	1	0
R. Ashwin	2	0	10	0

Just a few overs later, Robson brought up his first-ever first-class century to rapturous celebrations from his team-mates, who then saw the pair in the middle bring up Leicestershire’s 200.

The pair continued attacking at a rate of just under six runs per over, and quickly brought up their 200 partnership.

Smith then completed his century with two consecutive sixes off Ravindra Jadeja, with Leicestershire’s deficit now cut dramatically.

They went to the tea interval on 249-1 just as some heavy drizzle began, behind by 84 and with just one session remaining in the game.

Over tea, both Robson and Smith retired out having scored 126 and 101 respectively, meaning Dan Redfern and Michael Thornely emerged as the new batsmen for the evening.

Redfern in particular looked to continue the quick scoring of his team-mates, as he dominated the strike and continued to make life difficult for the Indian bowlers.

Thornely played a supporting role as the 24-year-old kept up an incredible pace and hit boundaries with regularity.

Having taken Leicestershire past 300, Redfern brought up his fifty before being caught by Ravi Ashwin off Sharma for 58 from 55 balls.

Two balls later, Sharma would have another as Tom Wells was caught by Rohit Sharma, meaning the hosts were 333-5 and level with India’s first-innings total.

Almost immediately after Leicestershire went into the lead, the light started to fade and the rain came down again, forcing the players off the field.

With a result impossible and given the poor weather, both teams agreed to call the match a draw with Leicestershire on 349-5 after 62 overs.

India’s tour continues on July 1, when they begin another three-day game, this time against Derbyshire, in what they hope will be better weather conditions.

India begin their 73-day tour of England with a three-day match against Leicestershire on Thursday, with hope of getting some valuable match practice and acclimatisation prior to the start of the Test series, which beings on July 9.

Venue: Grace Road, Leicester

Date: Thursday, June 26

Time: 11 a.m. BST; 3:30 p.m. IST

Live streaming: Willow TV and Star Sports

Weather: According to AccuWeather, it is expected to be cloudy at Leicester for all three days of the game, with the chance of thunderstorms toward the weekend.

Overview:

The games are over. After two months of engaging in a pyrotechnic Twenty20 cricket carnival on flat pitches in the Indian Premier League, followed by a rain-curtailed three-match one-day series against Bangladesh, the Indian team gets down to business with a tour of England, involving five Test matches, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 international.

India is playing a five-Test series for the first time since 2002. The last time the Indians toured England for five Tests was back in 1959. None of the 18 members of the touring party have ever engaged in a tour so long; only three have played a Test in England before.

The challenge ahead of this young Indian team, which is in transition after the retirement of its golden generation—including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble—in the build-up to the 2015 World Cup is a colossal one.

The next overseas tour for India following England is a trip Down Under later this year. The last time Dhoni's men toured England and Australia back-to-back, as they would have been reminded time and again by the press, they lost eight Test matches in a row—a fact that will be dangling over their heads like the sword of Damocles.

However, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who at 32 is one of the most experienced members of the squad, trusts his young side to banish the ghosts of the past. Speaking at a press conference prior to the team's departure to the UK, Dhoni said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

Quite a few of the players will be playing their first series in England. But most of the players in the squad have got exposure in South Africa and New Zealand, so they have got a few games behind them and they know what the challenges will be.

They have come in and are going to serve Indian cricket. It will be a big challenge for them. The good thing is they have had good exposure, playing a few games abroad and having played a lot at home. They have the talent. It's just that they have to get used to the conditions, apply themselves and give respect to the opposition and read the conditions.

Before such a long tour commences, the touring team always prefers playing a few practice games to get acclimatised. In 2011, the Indians played just one tour match, against Somerset, before the first Test and their lack of match practice was evident in the Test series that followed. This time around, they're playing two and would hope to make the most of them.

However, up against India in the next week are two teams which languish at the bottom of Division Two of the English County Championship—Leicestershire and Derbyshire. Nevertheless, Dhoni is confident that the games would help his squad prepare for the long tour ahead. He said in the same chat:

The good thing will be we are going a bit early, so we can take our time to get into the groove, play a few practice games and prepare ourselves. Besides, it's a five-match series and I don't think any of us have played a five-Test series. Overall, it should be good, the reason being we have enough time to prepare ourselves.

Leicestershire wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien is equally excited at the prospect of playing the cricket world giants that are India. In a column for the Leicester Mercury, O'Brien wrote, as reported by The Indian Express:

It is always a great experience, especially for the younger lads, to play against MS Dhoni and Co… For the [Leicestershire] Foxes, it will be a great test for our batsmen and bowlers to show what they can do against a Test side.

Key Players:

Leicestershire

Opener Angus Robson is fresh off two half-centuries in a county match against Surrey this week and would be looking to provide a stern test for India's inexperienced bowling line-up, which includes three bowlers who are yet to make their debut (Ishwar Pandey, Pankaj Singh, Stuart Binny) and one who has played just a single Test (Varun Aaron).

India

India are allowed to use 15 players out of their 18-member squad for this match and are expected to pick their strongest XI. Batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli—both of whom are in the ICC's Top 10 world rankings for batsmen—have never played in England before and would be eager to get off on the right note.

It would also be interesting to see if India play third-choice opener Gautam Gambhir. The 32-year-old is back in the squad after 18 months and has the experience of playing in English conditions as early as last year, when he played for Essex. A good outing would do his chances of featuring in the Test series no harm.

Squads:

Leicestershire

Josh Cobb (captain), Niall O'Brien (wk), Matthew Boyce, Nathan Buck, Ned Eckersley, Ollie Freckingham, Lewis Hill, Anthony Ireland, Richard Jones, Jigar Naik, Ben Raine, Dan Redfern, Angus Robson, Rob Sayer, Charlie Shreck, Greg Smith, Scott Styris, James Sykes, Rob Taylor, Shiv Thakor, Michael Thornley, Tom Wells, Alex Wyatt.

India

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Pankaj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha.

Prediction:

With the game being just a three-day affair, the possibility of getting a result for either team is bleak. From India's perspective, their batsmen would hope to spend as much time as possible out in the middle, gauging the alien surface and conditions, before James Anderson and Stuart Broad come knocking.

Looking to prove themselves would be the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, who have been criticised for their lack of runs away from home.

The bowlers, who apart from Ishant Sharma have never played a long-form match in England, would also be anticipating a good workout. Last time around, Somerset put up 425 for three on the board before having mercy on the Indians and declaring. If the tourists can avoid such a beating and perhaps reverse the scores, it would augur well for them ahead of the Test series.