Chris Silverwood defends England's rotation policy and sends message to supporters

Ollie Pope and Moeen Ali are in line to be available for the first India Test

The Analyst: Inside Cricket Daily - England's series success

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Head coach Chris Silverwood has asked England fans to understand the rotation policy which will be used throughout 2021 to help the team cope with the hectic schedule.

It comes after former captain Nasser Hussain criticised the decision to send a weakened squad to India for the upcoming four-Test series.

Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood have been left out of the first two Tests and are flying home following the conclusion of the Sri Lanka Tests.

Jos Buttler will only play one Test, but Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Rory Burns will all return.

England are due to play at least 17 Tests in 2011 while their white-ball commitments include the T20 World Cup in October and November. Much of their cricket will be played behind-closed-doors in bio-secure conditions where their movements are largely restricted.

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Management of the squad has been further complicated by the two Indian Premier League tournaments taking place within six months of each other, the second of which returns to its normal slot in April and May.

Players expected to be involved include Bairstow - who recently commented he's spent six days of the last six months in his own bed -, Curran, Buttler, Archer and Stokes while Wood also hopes to win a contract.

"It is not the world that we live in at the moment," said Silverwood, when asked to explain to fans why players can't be asked to be constantly available.

🗣 "I believe in being proactive with looking after the players rather than waiting until there's a problem"

📹 England head coach Chris Silverwood discusses selection decisions for the India tour#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/TPV0UidVWt

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) January 26, 2021

He added: "We've got to look after our people. We're spending a lot of time in hotels and bio-secure bubbles and it is not easy. It is good we're being proactive. I'm perfectly happy with the system at the moment.

"We've decided that we need to look after our players and I do believe we've been proactive. I would ask them to understand why we do what we do. It is in the best interest of each player and to get the most out of them, long-term."

^{Could England deploy James Anderson and Stuart Broad at the same time in India?}

There remains hope that Ollie Pope will be available from the outset of the tour, while Moeen Ali's recovery from Covid-19 means he is also in contention to start in Chennai.

Among the positives to emerge from the 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka was the success enjoyed by both Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who played a Test each. They finished with combined figures of 57-27-9-80.

The performances of England two leading Test wicket-takers raises questions over the structure of the team in India and prospect of both making the starting XI. They have not played a Test in Asia since the 246-run defeat to India in Visakhapatnam in 2016.

"It is great to have options," the former Essex coach gleamed. "The way the two of them bowled was fantastic. They showed everybody their class and how good they are. They've taken control of the game. 

"Those two have been inspirational and it is good to have both of them around. From a coaching point of view, I'm in a lucky position where I've got options where we can go either/or."