Time for Indians to show some fight

Having secured top spot in the ICC's rankings of Test-playing nations, England's cricketers must now live up to that billing. The first step in maintaining that position will come at the Oval as the south London venue hosts the final Test of the summer.

Even the best teams have a tendency to subconsciously take their foot off the gas in dead-rubber games. However, the ultra-pragmatic partnership of team director Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss will try to ensure English feet remain firmly on the ground.

England's XI is likely to be unchanged from the one that trounced India at Edgbaston, beating the visitors by the mammoth margin of an inning and 242 runs. Ravi Bopara is set to retain his place because batsman Jonathan Trott has yet to recover from a shoulder injury, and with no sign that Chris Tremlett is heading back to full fitness, Tim Bresnan will be looking forward to seeing if he can make it 10 wins in 10 Tests.