"India could still look at going back to Ashwin or Jadeja or, maybe Krunal Pandya who is being auditioned on the India 'A' tour." ©Getty

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 earlier this year, the difference could well lie in the performance of India's two wrist spinners. Already, England would have spent many hours looking at Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and working out plans to counter them and to my mind, that will be the most fascinating aspect of this little series. And teams around the world will be watching too for clues on how to play that decisive middle overs phase against India. Traditionally, when threatened by spin, English batsmen have swept and while that can be a handy ploy against finger spin, the greater bounce that wrist spin generates can make the approach hazardous.

All good limited overs teams, especially in this era of heartless wickets, tend to have six bowling options and it is an area that India need to work on in the build up to a World Cup year. Earlier teams had a Sehwag or a Ganguly or a Tendulkar to chip in and often that allowed India to play an extra batsman. But there is no such luxury in this side and so India must expect the batsmen to provide the bowlers with a cushion to budget against one of the bowlers having a bad day.

The highlight of the magnificent series win against South Africa was that India got by, largely, with five bowlers and without being as dramatic a success as the wrist spinners, the development of Hardik Pandya as a bowler contributed largely to it. If Pandya can continue to deliver ten overs, India's balance will be taken care of but reliability on one such player is a bit like skating on thin ice. Ideally, India should have him batting at number six but in this set-up, there is no one to bat at number seven and that is why I am convinced that India could still look at going back to Ashwin or Jadeja or, maybe Krunal Pandya who is being auditioned on the 'A' tour. An all-rounder at no 7 should be on top of India's wish list.

But for all the talk about bowling, batting remains at the heart of anything India does and with Dhoni having a wonderful IPL, it is a top six that most other teams will fear. I really hope KL Rahul can find a role in the one-day side because, as I have often said, he is a special talent. Maybe at number four because that has been a troublesome spot in recent times. If he can win India matches from there, it will take a huge load off Virat Kohli.

Eleven months away from a World Cup, these two weeks against a high quality England side, will give India an idea of what their best team needs to look like.

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