Haseeb Hameed unfazed by England call ahead of India test

Collapse like that in India and England will be in for an embarrassing series, so the selectors have made a decision to go for stability at the top of the order, move Duckett down to his more natural position at number four, and hope that the length and power of their batting order from three down will be able to speed up the game if that is required. But if you want to be a good bowling unit overseas, where your spinners come into play and win you Test matches, Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja will have to learn bowling on good first-day, second-day pitches, where there is no turn, where you have got to bowl the right line and right length. So, it is normal to play up the upcoming series as an opportunity for India to take revenge. “Haseeb hasn’t been overawed during his time so far with this squad”.

Haseeb Hameed is about to become England’s youngest ever debutant opening batsman – and for him the occasion can not come soon enough.

Last month, the supreme court in India ruled the BCCI must gain approval from a special panel investigating the way it runs the sport in order to release funds to state associations which host Tests.

While Kohli’s batting is crucial, what he also brings to the team is his captaincy. “That’s what the challenge we had in Bangladesh and we have got it here”.

It is still early days in Kohli’s tenure as a captain, but considering India’s dominance at home and the 13-Test long home season.

India’s vice-captain, Ajinkya Rahane, ruled out complacency. “Nothing changes for us”, the 28-year-old aggressive batsman elaborated. One of the most significant selections of the series will be the use of DRS for the first time in a Test series on Indian soil.

Since making his five-day debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2007, the Nottinghamshire all-rounder has grown into a mainstay of the England outfit – not least through his devastating new-ball partnership with James Anderson. However, with a young exciting team, they should not be underestimated. And there is every possibility that India can go with three spinners with Amit Mishra adding a leg spinning option to Virat Kohli’s armoury of spin bowling. Both are considered as one of the best batsmen of the modern era, however, Kohli with his performances has outshone Root recently. Only five other teenagers have played Test cricket for England and none younger have opened the batting. Outwardly ultra-competitive, Kohli would be looking to emerge as the batting leader.

News of Hameed’s debut and Stuart Broad’s 100th cap was overshadowed by comments from Cook, who will lead England for a record 55th time this week, in an interview with The Cricketer magazine.

The spin department though is thin on experience with Moeen Ali, Gareth Batty, Zafar Ansari or Adil Rashid not knowing the subcontinent conditions well.