Captain Cook leads new-look England into baptism of fire

ALASTAIR COOK faces a stern test in his first series as permanent Test captain today as England take on India in Ahmedabad.

England have not won a Test series in India since 1984-85 but the new skipper has more than just history against him heading into the contest.

The team news in the build-up has been dominated by injuries to key bowlers with Steve Finn confirmed to be out of the first Test with a thigh strain.

At least, Stuart Broad - who has been sustained a bruised heel - will play, and thus reprise his attacking partnership with the tourists' most experienced bowler, James Anderson.

However, it will be the form of spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar which will be more vital on the slow, turning pitches of India.

It was unclear whether Cook departs from the tactic of his predecessor Andrew Strauss who rarely picked two spinners in the same match - and it would have been refreshing to see the new captain willing to be more flexible in this regard.

Cook also had a choice to make in his batting line-up after the squad was freshened up with the introduction of the likes of Somerset's Nick Compton and Joe Root of Yorkshire into the squad.

For the two newbies, the warm-ups against Mumbai A and Haryana would prove crucial - and it was Compton, grandson of Denis, who would come out on top with three half-centuries.

And so, Compton now has the responsibility of opening the batting with Cook, with the rest of the top-six line-up - Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Samit Patel - eager to do better in the subcontinent than earlier in the year.

Yes, Pietersen's name appears in that list after his apparent 're-integration' into the England set-up following a wretched summer.

But the flamboyant KP had had to accept the attention being focused elsewhere in various series previews. Instead, rather unsurprisingly, new skipper Cook has been the subject of most of the pundits' commentaries.

Widely accepted as - and indeed groomed to be - Strauss' successor, it should be remembered that Cook has captained England before.

The Essex batsman previously led the national team in two Tests in Bangladesh in 2010, winning both, and he has also impressed as leader of the One-Day side, matching the England record of 10 wins in a row this summer.

More than that - as this interview with former coach John Abrahams shows, Cook was identified as captain material from as early as his appearances for the England Under-19 team.

But, despite all this being in Cook's favour, England fans would do well not to be a hostage to fortune, and we must wait to see just what sort of captain he is in the pressure-cooker Test arena.

There have been suggestions that the 27-year-old should look to ape the most recent Australian appointee Michael Clarke whose aggressive tactics - for example, declaring behind and winning - have seen an upturn in his side's fortunes since their awful Ashes defeat.

Ultimately, though, captain Cook will have to navigate his own path in this difficult, albeit hugely rewarding assignment.

Actually, it could almost be said that Cook has been given a free pass for these next few matches. And, certainly, he will be better judged by the back-to-back home and away series against New Zealand in early 2013, which England will be expected to win.

Nevertheless, that should not mean that this series is a complete write-off: England fans will definitely want to see at least some signs of encouragement after a tough 2012, especially ahead of the defence of the Ashes next year.

ENGLAND TOUR OF INDIA 2012-13

30 Oct-1 Nov	India A 369 & 124-4 drew with ENGLAND 426	Mumbai
3-5 Nov	ENGLAND 345-9d & 149-2 drew with Mumbai A 286	Mumbai
8-11 Nov	ENGLAND 521 & 254-6d drew with Haryana 334 & 133-6	Ahmedabad
15-19 Nov	First Test match v INDIA	Ahmedabad
23-27 Nov	Second Test match v INDIA	Mumbai
5-9 Dec	Third Test match v INDIA	Kolkata
13-17 Dec	Fourth Test match v INDIA	Nagpur
20 Dec	First T20 v INDIA	Pune
22 Dec	Second T20 v INDIA	Mumbai
11 Jan	First ODI v INDIA	Rajkot
15 Jan	Second ODI v INDIA	Kochi
19 Jan	Third ODI v INDIA	Ranchi
23 Jan	Fourth ODI v INDIA	Mohali
27 Jan	Fifth ODI v INDIA	Dharamshala

ENGLAND IN INDIA SINCE 1984-85

1984-85	INDIA 1-2 ENGLAND (from 5 Tests)	W
1992-93	INDIA 3-0 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	L
2001-02	INDIA 1-0 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	L
2005-06	INDIA 1-1 ENGLAND (from 3 Tests)	D
2008-09	INDIA 1-0 ENGLAND (from 2 Tests)	L