Hyderabad: Alastair Cook will come across as a man with a strong vision whose pragmatic approach and clear thoughts could only mark England’s way forward. He isn’t swayed by past records and is inclined to treat every series with a fresh outlook.

“What is gone is gone… I’m confident we can beat India in India,” England’s one-day captain echoed the sentiments of a side that is brimming with confidence.

This was barely a couple of hours after Mahendra Singh Dhoni had hoped that the home conditions would be able to wipe the scars of a nightmarish English tour. Once again, he stressed on the need to perform as a team and that the presence of youngsters added an “exciting” edge to the contest.

To Dhoni’s relief, gone will be the lateral movement or the soft and wet conditions that sounded the death knell for the world champions in England. Not without reason, the Indian captain shared a laugh when asked if there was any wetness on the track. “If it’s wet, then it causes problems… So it has to be dry,” Dhoni quipped.

“It won’t seam. It will be as flat as the other tracks we’ve played in,” Dhoni predicted on Thursday.

But can England be a threat in conditions that are tailor-made for free-striking batsmen? Their one-day record in India has been rather dreadful after their 3-3 draw in 2001-02. They were outplayed in the next two series here — 5-1 in 2005-06 and 5-0 in 2008-09 with the last two matches cancelled following the Mumbai terror attacks.

They, though, tied the World Cup game last March in a memorable chase before losing to the likes of Ireland and Bangladesh. Their performance graph has been on the upswing since.

The test this time will not just me-rely be on containing the rampaging batsmen but also how best the teams adjust to the latest changes in the playing conditions. Besides abolition of runners, the use of new balls from each end and allowing batting and bowling Powerplays to be taken only between the 16th and 40th overs could have far reaching impact.

“A bit tricky… Tricky in the sense that we’ve not played in this new format,” Dhoni said.

Dhoni felt the use of two balls could make the batsmen’s task easier. “In India you may see a bit of swing initially, but what you may not see is reverse swing which a lot of fast bowlers rely on,” he said.

No wonder the Indians are toying with the idea of playing a third spinner in Rahul Sharma. He has been impressive in the domestic circuit, and many see it as the right opportunity to test him. His batting, no doubt, will be a bonus.

The return of Gautam Gambhir is sure to boost the line-up in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. That will however mean unsettling the pair of Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, who achieved good success in England.

Dhoni didn’t wish to reveal whether Gambhir would open, but it is only logical that the senior pro is given to launch the innings.

England, on the other hand, are facing a problem of riches. Jonathan Bairstow has made a middle-order statement in the practice match the other day that has complicated matters. Ian Bell may be forced to miss out in the circumstances.

For a state locked in the Telengana crisis, cricket hardly matters. The current one-day series could be the road to redemption for Dhoni and Co. but that hasn’t been able to enthuse the paying public. Add to it, Team India’s dismal performance in England and the absence of star power.

No wonder, Dhoni is banking on the home conditions for young side to dent Cook’s confidence and high hopes.

TEAMS

India (likely): Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ranganath Vinay Kumar/Rahul Sharma.

England (likely): Alastair Cook, Craig Kieswetter, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, Jade Bernbach.

Umpires: Billy Bowden, S. Tarapore.

Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama.

Match starts: 2.30 pm.