Virat Kohli return ushers in fresh expectation around all-conquering India

NICK HOWSON: After the second string won in Australia there is a small matter of swatting aside England. The skipper does not want to give the tourists a head start this time around

Joe Root urges understrength England to take inspiration from India ahead of Test series

India v England, Test series: All you need to know

No sooner had India overcome Australia to produce one of the great Test series wins in recent memory, attention turned to the visit of England, themselves on their own journey of discovery.

While success Down Under with a depleted XI drawn from inexperienced internationals was eye-catching, it did little to temper expectation ahead of this four-Test series.

Many of the main men are back. Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Kohli himself, are among them. The spine of the team for the first Test in Chennai will be unrecognisable from the Brisbane success.

Kohli left the Australia series, not due to injury, but to attend the birth of his first child. He departed after an eight-wicket thrashing in Adelaide, which included a second-innings 36 - the lowest in the country's Test history.

That series, and England's last victorious trip to India in 2012 when they turned around an opening match defeat to claim a 2-1 win, is proof that while attention often focuses on the first Test it is important to play the long game.

MA Chidambaram Stadium hosts what could be argued as a warm-up to the remain three Tests. It could be the only match played without fans while thanks to injury and rotation both teams will be closer to full-strength come the back-to-back Tests in Ahmedabad.

^{India turned the Australia series around - after his departure}

"That doesn't we don't win the first Test at home," Kohli warned. "We play to win and we want to start on the right note.

"I would say in 2012 there was complacency on our part. England played better cricket and came back strongly into the series. 

"Similar in the Australia series I don't think they let up as much we came back into the series and overpowered their plans and determination. 

"To win any series in today's cricket when it is so fast-paced and things change so rapidly it is important to stay ahead of the game. 

"Once you move ahead in the series it is important to understand the need to continue to do the good work and now to take the foot of the pedal."

While it would be disingenuous to suggest the series could come down to a single head-to-head battle, the clash of Kohli and opposite number Joe Root is certainly among the most intriguing. 

Root certainly got the better of Kohli the last time they faced off in 2018 when England strolled to a 4-1 series win, albeit at home.

But in the batting stakes there remains a chasm, despite Root's exploits in Sri Lanka, even if Kohli is too humble to conceded otherwise.

"The talk of big four is created by the media," said the India captain when asked if Root remains among the premier group of international batsmen, including Kane Williamson and Steve Smith.

"As international cricketers, we know impact players when we see them and Joe has been one of those for a while now. 

"You always try to disrupt an opposition's batting plans and Joe is the wicket we look to get early on in the innings. 

"It is a compliment to his game, his consistency over so many years. He understands situations really well."

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