Out-of-form Indian pair backed to fire

India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane believes Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara's class will come to the surface when the Test series with England begins on Wednesday.

Both Dhawan and Pujara have struggled for runs ahead of the five-Test series. The former made a pair in the tour game against Essex last week, whilst Pujara's decision to get some regular County Championship matches under his belt has yielded an average of just 14.33 from 12 innings for Yorkshire.

Rahane says he would not be concerned for the health of the Indian batting order if one or both are selected for the Test at Edgbaston.

"We are not worried at all, because both are really quality batsmen," said the 30-year-old.

"It just takes one good innings to get into your rhythm. We all back them."

Rahane, who stood in for Virat Kohli as captain when India played Test debutants Afghanistan last month, said each batsman should play to their own strengths and not chop and change their style.

"As a batting unit, I feel that challenging yourself and backing your own game - rather than copying someone else - is important," he said. "If you're set here, you should really make it count.

"I feel that in terms of skill, both teams are on a par. It will be a test of our mind and character here."

India may be the world's top-ranked Test side but they still face accusations they are lions at home and lambs abroad. But a series win in England would go some way to ridding that unwanted tag.

In the past five years, India have won just one of their six Test series outside of Asia, against a struggling West Indies.

And their overall Test record in England is uninspiring; six wins from 57 matches and three series victories, in 1971, 1986 and 2007.

But if the current prolonged hot weather in England continues, the upcoming series may well be played on dry and dusty pitches, more akin to the surfaces that are found in India, rather than traditional green English seamers.

India would appear to have the edge in spin bowling but off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin has rarely performed as well outside of Asia as he has in the subcontinent.

Left-armer Ravindra Jadeja is an experienced campaigner while left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has forced his way in after impressing during the preceding one-day series.

White-ball form also led England to recall Adil Rashid even though the leg-spinner has not been playing red-ball cricket for Yorkshire this season and he could team up with off-spinner Moeen Ali.

"He's a very good bowler," said Rahane of Rashid.

"Wrist-spinners, we all know they are wicket-takers - and right now, in England weather-wise, it's like playing in Mumbai or Chennai."

While doubts persist about England's ability to cope should either one of veteran new-ball duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson get injured, India do at least have some pace-bowling depth.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah may be unfit for the first Test but the likes of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav have shown themselves to be capable operators outside of Asia.

Anderson is a master of conventional swing, but India may have the edge if conditions favour reverse-swing during what will be England's 1000th Test match.

"They seem to have got a good variety of bowlers and strength in depth in their pace bowling," said England opener Alastair Cook. "In the last ten years I've played them, they haven't had the option of playing five or six different types of seamers."