Wrist spin, bowling all-rounder key to India's plans in England

Two very high quality batting sides will stare down at each other in a contest where you need to genuinely worry about bowlers. The groundsmen in England these days are batsmen and with the manufacturers of the white Kookaburra balls, there is almost a hatred against bowlers. The bats are excellent and the boundary rope is moving further and further inwards. Batsmen are physically stronger than they have been and in their mind, they see every ball as an opportunity to score and not something to be wary of. When we were growing up, we were told that England was the home of seam and swing. If you watched limited overs cricket there recently, you would think there was an ordinance against a cricket ball deviating from a straight line.

England have much to thank the 2015 World Cup for their rejuvenation. They needed to be that bad to realise the world was moving on and their progress in limited overs cricket thereafter has been stunning. But, like everywhere else, batting has progressed significantly faster than bowling and they are as vulnerable as any other team on that count. A good batting side should be able to score as many against them as they do when they are demolishing opposition attacks.

That is why, much like in South Africa