Die Macht » ahead.Wasps pair Guy Thompson

England return to action in the first Test against India on Wednesday, a mere 10 days after they capitulated against Bangladesh in Dhaka.The Test series was drawn but it is the collapse that saw them lose 10 wickets in a session - all of them to spin - in that most dramatic of defeats that will be remembered. India vs England November 9, 2016, 3:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass The prospect of taking on the worlds No 1 ranked Test side, in similarly spin-friendly conditions, then, does not appear the ideal series in which to rebuild confidence. That though is the challenge Alastair Cooks side face. Here, we look at what we know about India, their strengths and where England may get some joy…Amazing AshwinHe is the man England fans fear most going into the tour and there is no point sugar-coating it, in Ravichandran Ashwin, England - a side whose vulnerability to spin was so brutally exposed in Bangladesh - are coming up against a world-class spinner at the top of his game. With supreme control over both his off-breaks and brilliantly disguised carrom ball, Englands batsmen will be tested to their very limits. Ravichandran Ashwin (right) has been in magnificent form of late The 6ft 5in off-spinner tops the Test bowling rankings and took 20 wickets at just 21.05 in Indias recent three-match series with New Zealand, including two six-wicket hauls and a seven-for. England must find a way of combating the all-rounder if they are to have any chance of upsetting the odds and winning the series.With DRS in place for the series, it will be interesting to see how Ashwin fares. But, of course, while it could deny him the odd wicket, there is every chance the technology could help him claim back just as many, if not more. Either way the umpires are sure to be kept busy.Opening issuesIt is a problem England know well. Top-class opening batsmen are hard to find and those capable of producing on a consistent basis in the Test arena are all the more rare. In Cook, England at least know they have one. As such, that is one area at least that they may have the edge over India. Murali Vijay was the one constant at the top of the order for India against New Zealand Virat Kohlis side used four different openers during the series with New Zealand. Murali Vijay was the only constant with Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and veteran Gautam Gambhir given one Test apiece at the top of the order.However, none of the quartet could claim to have done enough to have nailed down a place. Vijay hit half-centuries in both innings of the first Test but had a top score of just 19 in his next four innings, Rahul made two scores in the thirties, Dhawan averaged just nine in his two innings and Gambhir - statistically the pick of the bunch - scored 29 and 50 in his two knocks.Injuries to Dhawan and Rahul, as well as another potential option Rohit Sharma, mean Vijay and Gambhir will almost certainly fill the openers berths in Rajkot. But whether the pair will still be in favour by the end of the series remains to be seen.Kohli can be got atFor many, Virat Kohli is the best batsman on the planet, a supreme all-round player who continues to excel in every form of the game. And yet, there is reason to believe that England could have some joy against the India skipper. New Zealand showed that Virat Kohli can be got at for much of their Test series in India Indeed, while he tops the ICCs T20 batting rankings and is second only to AB de Villiers in the ODI standings, he is a comparatively lowly 16th when it comes to Tests - below both Joe Root (fifth) and Alastair Cook (11th) - and is not even his countrys highest-ranked player, that honour falls to Ajinkya Rahane (sixth).Even if you ignore the rankings - and 16th in the world is still some achievement - Kohlis recent form in the longer format has been decidedly mixed and he struggled to make an impact in his first four innings in the New Zealand series with scores of nine, 18, nine and 45. That he fell to pace bowlers in three of those innings should also give Englands impressive seam attack reason for optimism.The caveat to all of this? It was spin that did for him in his fifth innings of that series… after he had smashed a career-best 211.Win the tossWith spin expected to play such a big part in the series on pitches that are likely to deteriorate and making batting increasingly difficult as the game goes on, the toss could play a significant part in deciding the outcome. Kohli has reason to smile given Indias recent home form - but how much has winning the toss helped? India have won the toss in each of their last eight Tests on home soil, winning seven and drawing the other. Indeed, since Kohli took over from MS Dhoni as Test captain, he has won seven consecutive tosses in home matches, picking up six wins. In comparison he has called correctly only three times in 10 Tests abroad, of which India won only four.Of course, winning the toss is no guarantee of success for England but given Indias hugely impressive record in home conditions, it would certainly be a decent start.Life without DhoniIt is coming up to two years since Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket, the wicketkeeper calling it a day after the drawn Boxing Day Test in Melbourne confirmed Indias defeat in the series. Wriddhiman Saha has taken the glove since MS Dhonis retirement and bats at No 8 Kohli took over the captaincy and since a one-off Test in Bangladesh ended in a draw, India have won their last four series by an aggregate score of 10-1 to rise to the top of the Test rankings.Dhonis retirement has though altered the balance of the side and led to a reshuffle. As well as leading the bowling attack, the pressure is on Ashwin to do his bit with the bat as well having been bumped up to No 7.That is to accommodate Wriddhiman Saha, who has taken over behind the stumps and slots in at eight. However, after two half-centuries in three innings during the New Zealand series, averaging 112, he may be looking for a promotion himself before long.Watch the first Test between India and England from 3.30am on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.Also See:Englands XI for the first Test?Ashwin: Indias spin wizardIndia v England flash pointsDRS: Indias new dimensionNmd Xr4 Norge . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Billig Nmd Sko . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. http://www.nmdnorgesalg.com/nmd-r1-sko-norge.html . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Nmd r1 Norge .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Adidas Nmd Salg . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football.Eddie Jones will provide an insight into his plan to combat Englands injury crisis at openside when he names a preliminary squad for his maiden autumn campaign as head coach.A confirmed 45-man elite player squad will be announced on Friday morning and will also be whittled down to smaller group of around 30 who are to gather in Brighton on Sunday for a three-day training camp.The finalised party who will seek to preserve Englands perfect record of nine Test wins under Jones when South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia visit Twickenham will not be unveiled until later next month, at which point the hierarchy at openside should be clearer.James Haskell, a key figure in Junes 3-0 series whitewash of the Wallabies, will miss the entire autumn following foot surgery and the options have dwindled further after Jack Clifford was consigned to the same fate by an ankle operation.Of the squad who toured Australia in June, only Teimana Harrison is viewed as an openside after Jones repeated earlier this month that he does not regard Chris Robshaw as a contender in the position.Robshaws not an option. Hes a six, said Jones, who added that Nathan Hughes future lies elsewhere in the back row.Unless Jones performs a U-turn on Robshaw, Harrison will be favourite to continue in the No. 7 jersey having started there in Sydney before being replaced 31 minutes into the final Test due to a lack of physicality.South Africa, described by Jones as bullies, will be more confrontational than Australlia so the 24-year-old has been urged to prove his mettle in the early rounds of this seasons Aviva Premiership.ddddddddddddHarrison needs to show that he can physically take those guys on, Jones said.Alternatives are thin on the ground and Jones has spoken of several dark horses who could cover for Harrison and maybe even provide an alternative.Matt Kvesic is widely admired but not by Jones, who has repeatedly overlooked the Gloucester flanker, narrowing the options down to a string of uncapped rookies in varying stages of readiness for the challenges ahead.Wasps pair Guy Thompson and Sam Jones have made strong starts to the season, while the less established Under-20 world championship winner Will Evans was included in the preliminary elite player squad named in August but has still only made five appearances for Leicester.South Africa arrive at Twickenham on Nov. 12 so Jones has time to draw up his contingency plan, leaving the back injuries troubling the influential Owen Farrell and Dylan Hartley as a more immediate concern.Farrell has yet to play this season and Hartley has been sidelined since Sept. 11, with neither Saracens nor Northampton able to pencil in a date for their returns.The greater anxiety hangs over points machine Farrell, who is unable to kick and underwent a scan on Thursday to examine the source of the problem in more detail. 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