Stuart Broad is concerned that England are in danger of squandering home advantage against sub-continental opposition such as India, whose vice-captain, Virat Kohli, suggested that such hospitality could prove especially costly following the retirement of Graeme Swann.

After the frustrations of bowling on pitches at Lord’s and Headingley that might have been designed for Sri Lanka to clinch their first series victory in England Broad fears even his home county ground at Trent Bridge – where he took a hat-trick against India three years ago and Jimmy Anderson has a phenomenal record – will not provide much help for the seamers in this week’s first Test against India.

“I think it’s the drainage to be honest,” said Broad, echoing a warning from his Nottinghamshire captain, Chris Read, before last summer’s first Ashes Test. “The clubs have all spent huge money on all these drainage systems to make sure we can get out on the field but I don’t know how much research was done into what they’ll do to the pitches and the surfaces.

“I know our players three or four years ago brought the theory up that they were making the wickets too dry too early and it is quite hard to keep bounce in the wickets now unless you leave them really green which Test match wickets just don’t do. So it is a bit of an issue we’re suffering with I think, pitches bouncing three or four times to the keeper.”

Broad added: “Lord’s and Headingley turned out to be really slow and both really should have been draw wickets. It will be interesting to see how this series plays out. But if they’re dry, I think India will be licking their lips with the two spinners, won’t they?”

India are still expected to omit Ravichandran Ashwin, their off-spinner who is comfortably the highest-ranked bowler available to either side, with their former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, thought to be leaning towards handing a Test debut to the seam-bowling all-rounder Stuart Binny and relying on the slow left-arm of Ravindra Jadeja.

But England’s spin-bowling options remain alarmingly limited after the loss of Swann, who will be knocking around for the first two Tests, at Trent Bridge and Lord’s next week, to offer some informal advice to his potential successors, having been approached to do so by the spin coach Peter Such.

Simon Kerrigan, the young Lancashire left-armer who received a battering from Shane Watson on his surprise Test debut at The Oval last August, took part in the team’s net session on the Trent Bridge square on Monday. But, as things stand, he is thought to have fallen behind Adam Riley, a little-known Kent offspinner who will probably be involved in the preparations next week at Lord’s.

For the foreseeable future England will rely on Moeen Ali to support Broad, Anderson and two other seamers and Broad suggested the Worcestershire all-rounder is likely to play a more significant role against India partly because he has won over a sceptical captain. “We saw some glimpses of Mo’s bowling at Headingley to the left-handers that looked really encouraging,” he added.

“So I don’t think there should be a problem with just throwing Mo the ball and letting him go. He’ll have more confidence after that second innings and Cooky will have more confidence in bowling him. Spinners’ records here aren’t brilliant but they can certainly do a job.”

Swann’s Trent Bridge record endorses Broad’s theory about a drying square. Whereas on India’s last tour in 2011 he was savaged for 97 in 15 wicketless overs by batsmen who flailed haplessly against Broad and the other England seamers, last July he was required to bowl 63 overs in the first Test victory against Australia, taking two wickets in each innings and offering far more control than the tourists received from their shock debutant Ashton Agar.

Kohli, who was made available for a rare media appearance by India and proved far less engaging in front of a microphone than he is at the crease, nevertheless conceded that Swann’s absence will be regarded a major bonus by Fletcher and his team. “He has been one of the most important bowlers for England for the past few years,” he said. “You knew that, even if the fast bowlers had finished their spells, there was a quality spinner who could get you out at any time. His absence will be something that will be a key factor, especially in the Test matches where he has been a world-class spinner.”

Kohli confirmed that Rahul Dravid, who fought a lone battle against the England seamers three years ago, has played a major role in preparing a squad with little experience of Test cricket in this country, having been brought in on an advisory basis by Fletcher – and that India are keen to maintain the pressure on Alastair Cook, suspecting that the captaincy “might be troubling him a little more”.

The delicious question of how many members of the England team share the blunt view of Kevin Pietersen expressed by Andrew Strauss in a foul-mouthed faux pas over the weekend was left unasked. “Two ex-England cricketers having a bit of an issue is not something that is relevant to the England changing room,” Broad said when he broached the subject for BBC Radio 5 Live. “They live pretty near to each other - I’m sure Straussy will have KP round for a glass of white or red and discuss what’s happened,” he added, even less convincingly.