England vice-captain Alastair Cook feels that his side has the wherewithal to beat India in the upcoming four-match series and claim number one Test status.

Cook said that if England play to their potential, they will be a hard side to beat on home soil.

"It is going to be a great summer, we need to go back to Test mode. We want to world number one in the ICC Test Championship. There is nothing better than playing against the current world number one, to show that we can reach there," said Cook.

"They have got some players who will go down as all-time greats. But I am very confident that if we play well, we will be a hard side to beat," Cook said on this week's ICC Cricket World Radio Show.

Cook, also the ODI captain, said that the recent series triumph against Sri Lanka will hold them in good stead against India.

"It has been a good couple of months and to win the series is very pleasing. We have certainly got a lot to prove. We know as an English side, we know that we have to win. We have made a step in the right direction," said Cook.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly predicted a tough Indian summer for England at home.

"It is going to be a good series. We won there the last time in 2007 and I remember playing an important role myself. The English team has improved since then. But the England team will remember that in 2002, we managed to square the series. It is going to be a tough Indian team coming this season," he said.

A win for England by 2-0 or 3-1 margin in the series will see them topple India from the top spot.