Can England retame the beast?  

With heightened awareness of the steepness of their imminent hurdle, England will have to rewind a little over 11 years for inspiration as they take on India in the first of five Tests beginning in Hyderabad today.

Historically, winning a Test series in India has been one of the most difficult challenges in cricket. It was thus no wonder when the then Australia captain Steve Waugh coined India as "the final frontier" on the eve of their 2001 tour.

While Waugh came close to achieving the highly improbable feat in that series, having lost the third and final Test by only two wickets, Australia went on to flip the script in 2004 under his successor, Ricky Ponting.

Aside Australia, South Africa and England remain the only two teams in this millennium to have humbled India at their den, with the latter being the last side to do so.  

Since England inflicted a 2-1 series defeat in December of 2012, India bounced back stronger than ever, emerging superior in the 16 home Test series that followed – the most successful in history, ahead of the Australia teams of the bygone decades who enjoyed a run of ten consecutive Test series wins at home between 1994-2000, and 2004-2008.

Subduing India's two constants: England's key goal

Since 2012, India had boasted fast bowlers who have complemented the two constants in their spin department -- Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja -- becoming the bedrock of their continuous success at home.

Longevity aside, the two Ravis have one edge that sets them apart from other Test bowling duos -- they are decent all-rounders. This has given India the flexibility to add an extra batter or bowler based on the matchups.

The Two Ravis are probably akin to Samson's hair in the Indian armoury. If England can neutralize the duo, they may expose India's Achilles' heel.

Bazball finally in final frontier

India's last five-match Test series at home was versus England in 2016, which they won 4-0. This time England, with their signature brand of cricket in Bazball, will visit India with a different mindset.

Ultimately, winners will be the team possessing the mental steel to endure those last 385 yards after 26 miles of a marathon. Either way, especially for the lovers of red-ball cricket, the series opens an opportunity to witness a five-match Test series outside the Ashes.

The writer is a Professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University.