England's white-ball side crumbled on India soil in November, failing to make the knockout stages of last year's ODI World Cup, but the Test team will be hoping for much better when they return to India for a seismic five-match series, starting later this month.
While plenty of questions have been asked of England's limited-overs team, their Test side have been in brilliant shape under Brendon McCullum.
Courtesy of a confident and attacking brand of cricket dubbed 'Bazball', England are yet to lose a Test series under their new head coach but they will face arguably their toughest encounter yet when they visit the subcontinent.
India are the world's number one Test team following their recent 1-1 draw in South Africa, having not lost a series on their own patch since England edged them in 2012.
England have four pace options at their disposal for the upcoming series with James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson all heading to the subcontinent but it will be spin which will prove crucial in India conditions.
Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are, therefore, all worth keeping an eye on.
As the five-match battle draws closer, here is a look at some series predictions for India vs England.
- India to win series 4-1
- Ravi Ashwin top India series wicket-taker
- Harry Brook top England series runscorer
Hosts Should Ease To Victory
England have not really done a lot wrong since McCullum took the reins as coach and Ben Stokes was named as Test captain back in 2022.
Since those appointments, England have gone on to win four and draw three of their seven Test series, while their individual match win-loss record stands at 14-6.
And their last Test series was a significant one with England having drawn 2-2 with Australia in last summer's Ashes.
Australia retained the Ashes on that occasion, having won the previous series in 2021-22, but England showed tremendous spirit to fight back from 2-0 down in the series to earn the draw.
The focus for the national team has since shifted to ODI and T20 cricket but the Test team reconvene this month for their biggest challenge yet and it is hard to see them passing with flying colours.
There were signs of vulnerability in India's recent Test tussle with South Africa either side of the new year but on their own patch, they are a different beast.
The last Test series they lost in India was against England back in 2012-13 and since then, they have been a seriously tough nut to crack.
Their most recent home series was against Australia in the battle for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they won 2-1.
And if the way England's players coped with subcontinent conditions in the recent ODI World Cup is anything to go by, this could again be a comfortable series triumph for the hosts.
England are progressing under McCullum and could win a Test but India's superior spin options and strength on home soil points to a comfortably series success, likely by a 4-1 margin.
India too strong at home
Ashwin To Lead A Dangerous Spin Attack
England know the drill in India and have included four spinners in their squad for the series.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach, who is returning after a stress fracture in his back, are the two more recognisable options, while Lancashire's Tom Hartley and Somerset's Shoaib Bashir are both making their debuts.
But India will always have the better options in that area and one player to keep an eye on is Ravi Ashwin.
Ashwin has 490 Test wickets to his name and has been particularly prolific in the last year or so, claiming 12 scalps in one match against the West Indies in July last year.
But Ashwin does not only travel well, he is also a serious threat on his own patch.
The 37-year-old all-rounder was named player of the series in the four-match tussle with Australia in February and March 2023 - the last series India played at home in the Test format.
He took 25 wickets across those four matches and, with England preparing to arrive only three days before the start of the series, Ashwin can capitalise and cause plenty of problems for the visiting batsmen.
RAVI ASHWIN TOP INDIA SERIES WICKET-TAKER
Ashwin a massive threat to England
Brook Primed To Make His Mark
One player who might cope with the conditions better than most in the England camp is Harry Brook.
Having only made his debut in the format in September 2022, it is fair to say that Brook's Test career is still in its infancy.
However, in that short space of time, he has impressed, scoring 1,181 Test runs in 12 matches at an average of 62.15.
He has already made four Test centuries and was among England's more consistent players in last year's Ashes series against Australia, posting combined totals of 78, 54, 78, 61 and 92 in the five Tests.
More impressive, however, were his performances on his travels in New Zealand in February last year, when he struck 89, 54 and 186 in three of his four innings.
Across three Tests in Pakistan in December 2022, meanwhile, Brook scored an eye-watering total of 468 runs.
He looks pretty comfortable playing in the subcontinent as emphasised by his involvement in the Indian Premier League, in which he scored 190 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season.
England are in need of someone to step up to the plate on Indian soil and few look better equipped than the fearless Brook.
HARRY BROOK TOP ENGLAND SERIES RUNSCORER
