England fly out on an Indian wing and a prayer

One thing Nasser Hussain's England Test squad will certainly not declare when they arrive in India this week is a surfeit of hope.

If they were to do so, Bombay's immigration officials would probably take pity and wave them through without further questioning.

Rarely has England's attack been so light on wickets in recent years, or their batting so short of appropriate experience.

Rarely, too, has an England tour been launched in such inauspicious circumstances.

If skipper Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher fail to convince the 16-man squad to leave their safety concerns behind at Heathrow when they fly out on Tuesday morning, the next month could prove very long and very, very arduous indeed.

"I'm taking a young side away, yes it's full of inexperience, and it'll be bloody hard," Hussain said. "There is no harder tour."

FANATICAL SUPPORTERS

India, with its low slow pitches, packed ranks of fanatical supporters and searing conditions, is always a daunting place to go.

Only two touring sides, from South Africa and Pakistan, have won there since England's last success in 1984-85. World champions Australia lost 2-1 earlier this year.

A full-strength England would have struggled against the wide bats of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Vangipurappu Laxman, and the mysterious wiles of leg-break bowler Anil Kumble and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

England, without the tenacity of the recently retired Michael Atherton and the experience of Alec Stewart, as well as the 409 Test wickets of stay-at-home pace bowlers Darren Gough and Andy Caddick, look dangerously exposed.

"Everyone will find out about themselves...whether we can compete against the likes of Tendulkar and Ganguly," Hussain said.

If England are to prosper, it is likely to be though sheer bloody-mindedness. It will take some dogged, back-to-the-wall batting for the tourists to have any chance of stealing a result.

That would be unlikely to make for enthralling watching. Neutrals will surely be waving the Indian tricolour.

England will find themselves with a bowling attack led by seamers Matthew Hoggard (six wickets, two Tests), James Ormond (one wicket, one Test) or Richard Johnson (uncapped), with all-rounder Craig White, so out of sorts in 2001, as back-up. Only the pitch at Mohali, the venue of the first of three Tests, is likely to offer them much encouragement.

If left-arm spinner Ashley Giles continues to struggle with his Achilles problem, the slow bowling will shared by 31-year-old Martyn Ball and Richard Dawson, neither of whom have ever played at Test level.

You can almost hear the licking of the Tendulkar lips from London.

Hussain and Fletcher, though, are quick to point to 2000-01 and England's unlikely series victories in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"Everyone was sceptical last winter about our chances and are questioning them now. But give yourselves a go, that's what I'll be saying to my team, give yourself a go," the captain said.

"Take on the challenge and see what happens.

"Character and determination and team spirit will be absolutely key."

FIGHTING TALK

Fighting talk, and you would expect nothing else, particularly with so many young players' nerves jangling over the events in nearby Afghanistan, concerns which will not have been eased by the announcement of the crash of an American Airlines plane at virtually the same time as Monday's pre-tour press conference.

On paper at least, the team appears to have a respectable batting spine.

Left-hand opener Marcus Trescothick confirmed his emergence in Sri Lanka last year with a century, while the technically-correct Michael Vaughan suggested an international career with three figures at Old Trafford against Pakistan in June.

Graham Thorpe is undoubtedly a top class player, while both Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash, after years of under-achievement, managed centuries in the Ashes debacle against the Australians.

None of them, however, the Madras-born Hussain included, have ever played a Test in India.

The last time the English made the journey, they boasted such household names as Gooch, Stewart, Atherton, Smith, Gatting, Hick, Emburey and Tufnell. They were given a bloody nose and lost 3-0.

Perhaps if things go as badly this time, the security officer delegated to travel with the team at all times may be asked to turn his arm over.

Squad:

Nasser Hussain (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Mark Ramprakash, Usman Afzaal, Warren Hegg, James Foster, Craig White, Ashley Giles, Martyn Ball, Richard Dawson, James Ormond, Matthew Hoggard, Richard Johnson.

Mail Cricket Editor