As I write this, I must clarify that I am fit and raring to go! The last few days have been dominated by news of an assortment of injuries to the English players. Here is the list :

Ashley Giles - never made the trip - failed to recover after hip surgery.

Shaun Udal, Monty Panesar, Ian Blackwell and Simon Jones - all afflicted by a stomach bug. Jones is back in England - see below.

Michael Vaughan - recurrence of knee injury - back in England.

Simon Jones - feel sorry for him. I was looking forward to watching him. Back in England after twisting his knee. Without doubt, one of the unluckiest players in cricket.

Kevin Pietersen - back spasms - expected to recover.

Marcus Trescothick - flew back home for personal reasons.

Paul Collingwood - recovering from back injury. Expected to be fit for the first test.

Despite all the modern technology, physios and biomechanists, an unacceptable number of players continue to suffer injuries. When four players fall to a 'stomach' bug together, you sometimes wonder what they have been up to!  

Needless to say, this weakens the English team considerably. Marcus Trescothick has a good record in India and I was counting on him to be one of their more successful batsmen on this tour along with Pietersen and Flintoff. Batting is going to be tough for the players playing in India for the first time, however good they may be. All this is going to make them vulnerable for the first test at Nagpur.

I am happy with the squad picked by the Indian selectors. This is one of the best selections of recent time, shorn of pressure and regionalism. I would play 5 bowlers at Nagpur without any hesitation.

First, the pitch is tailor made for spinners. It will be hard with some bounce for the first two days, but the spinners will call the shots for the rest of the game. With Dhoni and Irfan we effectively have 7 batsmen even when we pick 5 specialists. That's more than enough. I would play Kumble, Bhajji and Piyush Chawla. If you are not going to be aggressive on a spinning pitch at home are you ever going to be aggressive?

Second, the English team is probably at it's weakest now ( who knows, though?) and faces a spinning track. We must win at Nagpur and put them on the back foot straight away. If they save this one it will seem like a victory to them. That's just the boost  Harmison and co. need before Mohali where they have their best chance of forcing a victory.

Third, a large part of cricket is played in the mind. Playing with 4 bowlers betrays a defensive mindset which is a morale booster for the opposition. The team is on a high, the opposition is hobbled by injuries - what are you waiting for ?

My two seamers would be Pathan and Sreesanth. I had pointed out in the previous post ( Third Umpire's squad for 1st. Test - Feb. 22) that the selectors should have waited for the Board President's eleven game before picking the bowlers. On current form, Munaf Patel deserved another go at the Englishmen, having taken 10 wickets in that game. He would have a psychological edge over them. VRV did bowl well but Munaf was better by all accounts. It seems that the team management have made up their mind to groom VRV - they  selected him once even when he was injured! I just hope he justifies the faith selectors have reposed in him.

In any case, it is nice to see Munaf begin to match the hype. It will also keep the bowlers in the squad honest. Agarkar and Zaheer may well have played their last games for India.

Here is my eleven for Nagpur : Jaffer, Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin, VVS, Dhoni, Irfan, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan, Kumble, Sreesanth / VRV. I haven't seen VRV bowl and have to trust the judgement of the selectors. If I won the toss - no question, bat first, score big and let the bowlers loose.  

I expect the English pace quartet to bowl well and test the Indian batsmen. Make no mistake, they are very good on any surface and we will have to bat big in the first innings. If we concede a large first inning lead in any test, they are well capable of making us pay. Remember, a low pitch with uneven bounce will help fast bowlers too if they bowl straight.

Having said that, the English batsmen will struggle against spin and that is why India should win this series. All the more reason to give Piyush Chawla his first cap at Nagpur. England haven't played him before and cannot have prepared for him. 

I welcome the readers who have begun to access this site from the United Kingdom recently. I have very fond memories of living and playing in England for 5 years ( Newcastle, Northampton, Kettering, London and Salisbury). I write this column from an Indian perspective and would welcome an English perspective. If you would like to discuss strategy or make a point, feel free to send in your comments.