England have to gel

CRICKET/England v India Third Test:England face an uphill struggle to make Sysiphus puff, wheeze and down tools in despair. India, buoyed by their skin-of-the-teeth escape at Lord's and an emphatic win at Trent Bridge, arrive at The Oval for the final Test today knowing they can bat England out of the series on one of the more pristine surfaces in the game. This will not be for faint-hearted England bowlers.

For Michael Vaughan, returned to the leadership of the Test team and batting with the panache and elegance that brought him two giant centuries the last time the sides met in England, during 2002, this is a game that will decide whether a proud record stands or falls.

Since 2001, when Nasser Hussain's side lost to Australia, England have played 11 home series without losing, an impressive and unparalleled run of form that has helped elevate them to second in the official ICC rankings.

A drawn match, though, giving India a first series success here since Kapil Dev's 1986 team, and England's credibility would take a dive. They have been given conditions of swing and seam and the home bowlers ought to have been able to dominate even a batting side with the pedigree of India's.

After Trent Bridge, in which England submitted to earnest bowling in the first innings and then conceded a century opening partnership in conditions that were still trying for batsmen, questions were asked about the capacity of the England batsmen, Vaughan excepted, to counter the moving ball propelled so effectively by Zaheer Khan.

Central to their success at The Oval will be the start that Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook can offer.

Statistics can show that this is one of England's least successful opening combinations of recent times. But the pair of them have been consistent century makers.

The pedigree is there.

Given their recent successes, it is no surprise that India are intending to field an unchanged side, with the proviso, applicable to England as well, that behaviour is more commensurate with the spirit of the game and their age group.

Guardian Service