And it was no surprise to see few of the England team players indulge in boxing-style training during their nets session on Tuesday.
Monty Panesar clearly seemed to relish his time with boxing gloves on as he tried to pack a few hard punches.
The England left-arm spinner, the first Sikh to play for England, is certainly the cynosure of all eyes. But he will need to pack a few punches on the field too, against a strong Indian batting line-up in the three-Test, starting at Lord's on Thursday.
Photographs: Harish Kotian