What

The first Test of the four-match series between England and India

When

July 21-25, 2011. The game begins at 3:30 pm, IST.

Where

Lord’s, London. Quite appropriately, the 2000th Test will be played at ‘the home of cricket’. The last time India played at this venue (July 2007), they just about secured a draw with MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 76 in the fourth innings of the match, and rain, standing in the way of a possible defeat.

The Teams

The biggest challenge facing India is their ability to make up for Virender Sehwag’s absence or lack thereof. Sehwag’s impressive Test average of 71.79 versus England, including his average of 66.57 in England, are a tough act to follow. Abhinav Mukund may have stood up to the West Indies quicks but the English pace attack, and spinner Graeme Swann, are of a far better pedigree.

England appear better suited to the four-match series, beginning with this Test, primarily because of their bowling strength. In James Anderson, they have one of the best swing bowlers in the world. Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan have improved vastly since they made their debuts in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Yet, so much depends on Stuart Broad’s inclusion in the side - he gives England more batting depth and is also a world class bowler when on song.

Trivia

England haven’t beaten India in a Test series for the last 15 years. The last time they managed to achieve this feat was in 1996 when the touring Indian side were beaten 1-0 in a three-match series. Since then, India have beaten England in five of 15 Test matches played between the two with England having won only two games.

Sachin Tendulkar is one century away from scoring his 100th international century (Tests and ODIs combined). Fans will expect him to shake off his below par performances at this venue so far (highest score of 37 in seven innings) and come up with an innings that befits the occasion. Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, is 85 runs short of an impressive 1000 Test runs in England.

X-factor

England’s ability to handle Zaheer Khan’s reverse swing could be crucial to their fortunes. In the 2007 series, Zaheer, bowling predominantly from round the wicket, took 18 wickets in three matches to put the English batsmen consistently under pressure. The threat of an encore looms large in front of the current England batting line-up.

Harbhajan Singh’s bowling form is another key factor in the series. Harbhajan may have become a member of the 400-wicket club recently, but with just 11 wickets in the three-match series against the West Indies, there is much pressure on him to step up and prove his claim as the best offspinner in the world, ahead of England’s Graeme Swann.

Venue Stats

England – Played 120, Won-46, lost – 27, Tied – 0, Draw – 47 – Win percentage – 38.33

India – Played 15, Won - 1, lost – 10, Tied – 0, Draw – 4 – Win percentage – 6.66

Highest total in an innings: Australia 729/6 decl. in 232 overs v England - June 27, 1930

Lowest total in an innings: India 42 in 17.0 overs v England – June 20, 1974

Best individual score in an innings:Graham Gooch (England) – 333 v India- July 26, 1990

Best bowling figures in an innings:Ian Botham (England) 20.5-8-34-8 v Pakistan – June 15, 1978

Average first innings score at Lord’s: Overall - 312, since 2000 – 382

Average second innings score at Lord’s: Overall - 297, since 2000 – 300

Result Summary

Head-to-Head

Last Meeting:

December 19, 2008 to December 23, 2008 – Venue - Mohali Brief scores: India – 453 & 251/7 decl. Drew with England – 302 & 64/1

Form Guide (Most Recent Listed First):

India: Drawn, Drawn, Won, Drawn, Won (2 wins, 3 draws)

England: Drawn, Drawn, Won, Won, Won (3 wins, 2 draws)

The Squads

India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar, Virender Sehwag, Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson and Tim Bresnan

All stats are as onas on July 20, 2011