Test previews / Ed Hawkins / 19 July 2011 /

Ed Hawkins casts his eye over the players' market as the start of the four-Test series approaches

Top England series batsman
Alastair Cook top scored for England against Sri lanka earlier in the summer with 390 runs. He is enjoying a golden run which surely cannot continue against a bowler of the class of Zaheer Khan.

Khan's ability to make the ball move both ways could expose Cook's sometime leaden-footed technique at the crease and we rate him as a poor value favourite at around the [4.00] mark.

Ian Bell, with 331 runs against Sri Lanka, was next best and it could well be that England's middle order do most of the run getting if Zaheer is lethal up top. Bell is [7.20].

Our top selection would be Jonathan Trott, however. He has the technical ability to bore and frustrate India. Importantly, too, he is one player that coach Duncan Fletcher would not have seen much of.

It is likely that players like Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, who worked extensively with Fletcher, will feel a little nervous that, suddenly, an opposition know their foibles and insecurities.

Top England series bowler
Chris Tremlett had been earmarked for some time as a potential England superstar. His 6ft 7in frame was what first got him noticed, followed by steepling bounce, hitting the bat high up on the splice.

He was given his chance against India in 2007. He did not disappoint, taking 13 wickets to finish one behind James Anderson in the England series wicket-taker list. It was clear that India's batsmen found him awkward.

However, Tremlett then disappeared having lost confidence as a bowler and a person. A move away from Hampshire to Surrey saved him and he burst back onto the scene in the Ashes series last winter. He returned an infinitely better bowler.

Indeed, his strike rate of 44.7 is the best of any England bowler picked in the first Test squad. Anderson has a mark of 48 and Swann 52.5 Swann is the [3.05] favourite with Anderson slightly bigger at [3.15].

We expect Anderson to be in the wickets but it is probable that Swann is far too short as he comes up against an Indian team who play spin well. Tremlett is as big as his frame at [4.10] and should be backed.

Top India series batsman
All eyes on Sachin Tendulkar then. The Little Master has top scored in three of the last four series he has appeared in and it is difficult to see past him. He should go off at around the [4.50] mark.

The key to Tendulkar is that his nemesis, as far as this market is concerned, is missing. If anyone stops him it is usually Virender Sehwag but the aggressive opener is nursing an injury.

Sehwag should return for the third Test after undergoing shoulder surgery. "We've heard that he'll be over here for maybe the third and fourth Tests. We're crossing our fingers for that," coach Fletcher said.

Tendulkar's biggest rival is Gautam Gambhir at around the [6.00] point. He is tricky to work out. He could struggle on his first Test tour of England but he does have good form in New Zealand, top scoring there in 2009.

Top India wicket-taker
Harbhajan Singh is India's top bowler over the last 12 months with 49 wickets, followed closely by Ishant Sharma with 43. They are [4.00] and [4.50] respectively.

We won't be backing, either though. Zaheer is the man to beat. He has played only six matches over the same study period but has still managed 29 wickets. At around [3.50] he is a solid wager.

Best bet: C Tremlett top England series wicket-taker @ [4.10]

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