England's bowlers face a testing time

If England are to get anything from their three-Test series in India then their bowlers will have to work overtime.

India's batting line-up, led by Sachin Tendulkar, with captain Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman close behind, is one of the very best in the world and if they hit top form then England will be in the field for long stretches of time.

The likely return of Simon Jones to the side is a major boost for England as of all their bowling options, he is the one who has mastered the use of reverse swing the best. That will be a massive advantage on the sub-Continent but the only downside is that he is likely to need a bit of time to get back to top form.

Steve Harmison heads bet365's betting at 5/2 (3.50), while Jones is 3/1 (4.00) and Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff are both 4/1 (5.00). The prices are shorter than normal, mainly because of the absence of Ashley Giles.

As in the batting markets, the possibility that Flintoff could miss the third Test to be with his pregnant wife means that he cannot be backed with any certainty, which is a shame as to my mind, he's England's best bowler.

That leaves Harmison and Hoggard. Neither man has excelled overseas but neither has exactly struggled, but the conditions in India do not generally lend themselves to fast bowling. Harmison won't get the bounce he craves, while Hoggard will struggle to get the swing.

Monty Panesar is an 8/1 (9.00) chance but he is untested and India's batsmen are fabulous players of spin, while Shaun Udal is 10/1 (11.00) but may not play.