‘When Tendulkar was at the crease…’: Allan Donald on what England can do in latest bid to beat India in India

Allan Donald had a great Test record in India despite the conditions being famously friendly for spinners.The buildup for the T20 World Cup may be presently dominating the cricket headlines in India but before the Indian Premier League and the marquee ICC tournament, England tour the country in a five-match Test series. The series is the first for England since their approach to Test cricket was drastically changed by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum and it also comes at a time when the sheen of ‘Bazball’ has worn off somewhat due to their failure to win the Ashes at home against Australia last year.England are largely seen as underdogs against India, who haven’t lost a Test series at home for well over a decade. England are one of just two teams to have beaten India in a Test series the latter have hosted in this century, the other being Australia in 2004/05. Since that victory in 2012/13 though, England have lost 4-0, and 3-1 in Test series in India, who on the other hand have lost just three Tests at home since then.