Indian batting ace Rahul Dravid says it is vital that India gets off to a good start in the four-Test series, beginning Thursday.
The England selectors included fit-again pacer Tim Bresnan in the squad of 12 for the first Test against India starting at the Lord's from July 21.
He does not quite know which way the series will go but former England skipper Michael Vaughan is quite sure that Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be pushing more aggressively for a win than his "defensive" rival Andrew Strauss in the Tests starting July 21.
England will claim the number one in the Reliance ICC Test Championship if it beats India by at least two Tests in the upcoming four-match series.
Ian Bell hit an unbeaten 84 on his first one-day international appearance since November 2008 to guide England to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday.
Strauss has also called for a change in England's top-order after another disappointing show by the batsmen.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels Andrew Strauss' men can intimidate world number one India even before they set foot here by disposing off a "troubled Sri Lanka" in the ongoing Test series.
Sri Lanka safely negotiated a draw on the final day of the second Test against England at Lord's on Tuesday after being set a daunting 343 from 58 overs to win.
England captured the final seven Sri Lanka first-innings wickets for 107 runs in the second Test at Lord's on Monday to give themselves an opportunity to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. At the close of a prolonged day, England were 149 for two in their second innings, an overall lead of 156, with 98 overs scheduled for Tuesday's final day.
England snatched a dramatic win over Sri Lanka in the rain-interrupted first Test on Monday after dismissing the visitors for 82 in their second innings on the final day.
Rising off-spinner Graeme Swann beat competition from his skipper Paul Collingwood among others to clinch the 'England Cricket of the Year' award at Lord's in London.
Alastair Cook has warned that England's players could go on a strike if the country's Board does not trim the schedule as the team is playing 'too much cricket'.
England should instead celebrate the fact that, among all speculation, intimation and finally confirmation, Kevin Pietersen made it absolutely clear that he wants to carry on as a player.
The pitch for the India-England match held up well, but the same cannot be said for the Umpire's Decision Review System, says former India captain Anil Kumble.
England opener Alastair Cook believes that coach Andy Flower should take the credit for making him a world class cricketer.
South African pacers rocked England top order as the visitors were reduced to 48 for three in their second innings on the third day of the fourth and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.
England's Paul Collingwood played a full part in practice on Saturday, leaving South Africa with the tough selection decisions for the third Test starting on Sunday.
England captain Andrew Strauss shrugged off criticism from South Africa counterpart Graeme Smith on Thursday that his team's middle-order was under pressure heading into the second Test.
England took an iron grip on the Ashes by bowling out Australia for a record low score of 98 and then scoring 157 without loss on the opening day of the fourth Test on Sunday.
Australia were dismissed for 98 in their first innings just before tea on the opening day of the fourth Ashes test against England at the MCG on Sunday.
Stability has been one of the pillars on which England have built their success over the last 18 months and it looks unlikely they will be panicked into major changes despite the crushing third Ashes Test defeat.
England wicket keeper Matt Prior has said that teams spirit has improved massively since skipper Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower assumed charge.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes that Andrew Strauss-led side's crushing win over Australia in the second Ashes Test is the testimony of the fact that the team could well go on to replace India as the number one Test side in the world.
Australian paceman Peter Siddle destroyed England's lower middle order by taking a hat-trick and finishing with 6-54 as the visitors were dismissed for 260 late on the first day of the first Ashes Test on Thursday.
Australia's Peter Siddle claimed an outstanding hat-trick to sink England further on the first day of the first Ashes Test on Thursday.
Former England captain Mike Gatting is convinced that he is about to lose the mantle of England's last Ashes-winning captain in Australia.
There is no ban on Kevin Pietersen playing for England but an erosion of trust means he has no place in their plans this summer, new director of cricket Andrew Strauss said on Tuesday.
In a sensational verbal attack on English cricketers, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt has said that instead of Pakistani players, Andrew Strauss's men should be probed as some of them were 'paid enormous amounts of money' to lose the under-investigation ODI at the Oval.
Umar Gul took six wickets in a devastating display of quick bowling as Pakistan kept the One-day cricket series alive with a 23-run victory over England at the Oval on Friday.
The 'spot-fixing' scandal that has engulfed world cricket is like a cancer that can spread and devalue the game if the authorities do not act fast enough to root it out, said England captain Andrew Strauss.
England collapsed spectacularly to 82 for five in their second innings to leave Australia on the brink of victory in the fourth Ashes Test in Leeds on Saturday. Marcus North's patient century guided Australia to a commanding total of 445 on the second day and Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson claimed five wickets in 44 balls to leave England's hopes in tatters.
Shane Warne and controversy are never far apart and the flamboyant Australian spin legend shocked yet again by using a four-letter word while doing commentary during the drawn Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
England raced to a series win over West Indies with a nine-wicket victory on the fourth day of the second Test at Trent Bridge on Monday after being set a modest target of 108.
England will undergo another searching examination at the hands of an increasingly potent Pakistan attack in the final Test starting at Lord's on Thursday.
Graeme Swann kept England in contention in the third Test against Pakistan at the Oval on Thursday by capturing his 100th Test wicket during a day of attritional but invariably absorbing cricket.
England extended their overall lead over Australia to 267 with all second-innings wickets intact after declining to enforce the follow-on on the third morning of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Saturday. At lunch, England were 57 for no wicket in their second innings with captain Andrew Strauss (24 not out) and Alastair Cook (32 not out) taking full toll of some short-pitched bowling from the Australian pace attack.
Former Australia coach John Buchanan has been appointed as a consultant by England to help Andrew Strauss's team win the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years.
Mitchell Johnson claimed two wickets as England's top order was dismissed in the morning session on the opening day of the first Ashes Test.
Spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar were both included in the England side while Australia opted to play their only specialist spinner Nathan Hauritz.
Winning the toss at Headingley is often not the best thing a captain can do as Ricky Ponting found out on Wednesday.
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