If it makes England feel any better, they can take refuge in plenty of numbers. With three Test wins and four losses, for instance, they have the best record of any visiting side in India since 2000.
They are the only team to win a Test series there since 2004-05, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson and the spin pair of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar fashioning a famous 2-1 triumph in 2012-13.
Their top order, collectively, also has the second-highest batting average in the country since 2000. Cook, on whom so much will depend, loves batting in India – he averages over 60 in the country and, on average, faces over 140 balls between dismissal. That stickability will be critical.
See also:
• Dileep Premachandran: India v England Test series: On-form India will rely on Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling
• Osman Samiuddin: Cricket is lesser without Dale Steyn, and it is scary to think it may never have him fully back
Moreover Ravichandran Ashwin averaged over 50 with the ball in the 2012-13 series; Virat Kohli's average against England barely creeps over 20; and Anderson has been a potent pace bowler in India.
Yes, on numbers England should begin their five-Test series in India on Wednesday in Rajkot skippingly. Except that all of these numbers are redundant at the moment.
The India England toured in 2012-13 is a vastly different challenge to the India that England tour now – their series win that season, in fact, was a catalyst for Indian cricket at home.
Since that loss, India has exercised far greater and complete control over the surfaces and they do so unapologetically. Most pitches they have produced since now spin big, they spin early and they spin right through the Test. It will not be any other way now, more so given England’s struggles in Bangladesh.
On such surfaces it is impossible to see how India can be beaten. New Zealand were blanked 3-0 even though their bowling regularly made early inroads into India’s batting. Last year South Africa also lost 3-0, despite dismissing India for 201, 200, 215 and 173 in two of the four Tests.
But for two reasons this has hardly mattered. One, India’s lower order is exactly the kind of nuggety, annoying one that does not often get blown away. They scrimp and scrounge together runs.
And two, those runs are critical because no touring side has yet figured out a collective way to prosper as batsmen on these pitches. Maybe it is not even really possible. However many or few runs India do end up getting, they are invariably more than enough.
England at least have the depth in bowling to compound top-order Indian failures. Cook will always have more faith in his pacemen than his spinners but that is because the former are so good. And in case of innings that stretch on, there is no better side in the world at reverse swing than England.
On paper, even the batting has depth. Adil Rashid batted at No 10 and No 9 in England’s last Test and he has a first-class batting average of nearly 35 (and 10 hundreds). Chris Woakes, at eight, averages nearly 35 in Tests (and 37 in first-class cricket). That is no tail.
But that depth is somewhat undone by a misfiring top order. Ben Duckett was assured in his last innings in Bangladesh, but Cook’s long-term search for an opening partner must still be said to be ongoing. Prospects for Gary Ballance do not look especially bright. And then, already, we are into the all-rounders.
Also, as accomplished as those all-rounders have been in rearguards, they would not have played in conditions as extreme as these and, more pertinently, against bowlers as adept at exploiting them as Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. In other words, turning 80 for five into 350 at Lord’s or Old Trafford is one thing; doing so in Rajkot or Mumbai or Chennai is quite another.
Still, England remain probably the best-equipped side to push India, especially as Pakistan are not visiting any time soon and Sri Lanka and Rangana Herath have not since the end of 2009.
A first five-Test series in India since 1987 also means there is time for England to recover from early setbacks. Equally, however, early knocks could irreversibly set the mood for the rest of the series, especially as there is barely any respite between each Test.
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Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
More on Quran memorisation:
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Results:
First Test: New Zealand 30 British & Irish Lions 15
Second Test: New Zealand 21 British & Irish Lions 24
Third Test: New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
