London, July 15: With India keen to strengthen their No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings and third placed England eyeing the top-spot, the four-Test series is set to be a thrilling contest. The ICC has announced that England would go on to the No. 1 position in the Reliance ICC Test Championship if they beat India by a margin of at least two Tests in the upcoming four-match series.

Fresh from a win against Sri Lanka at home, England are a rejuvenated side. Alastair Cook, England’s vice-captain for Tests and ODI skipper, said about the buoyant side, "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.”

Having ended their ODI series against Sri Lanka on a high, Cook added, “It is going to be a great summer, we need to go back to Test mode. We want to be [the] world No. 1 in the Reliance ICC Test Championship. There is nothing better than playing against the current world No. 1, to show that we can reach there. 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.’

Having lost to India in the last two series played between the sides (2007 and 2008-09), England would be eager to beat the visitors in the upcoming series and leapfrog to the top position in Test cricket.