India's captain Rahul Dravid is still expecting England to represent a formidable foe when the first Test begins on Wednesday.
England, which hasn't won in India for 21 years, will be without its captain Michael Vaughan who, with fast bowler Simon Jones, returned home on Tuesday to consult a specialist for knee injuries they are both suffering.
England will be captained by Andrew Flintoff and it is not known how long Vaughan will be out of action, but he did tell BBC Sport that it might be best to have the knee attended to so he can come back stronger later in the year.
It is expected that spin will be a factor in the first Test with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh key players for the home side.
Dravid isn't buying into the argument that England players are weak against spin.
"It's almost a cliché like saying India can't play pace bowlers," Dravid said.
"Harbhajan and Anil is a challenge but to say any spinner can turn up and get them out is unrealistic."
There is a prospect that India may even add a third spinner, 17-year-old leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
"It's not always easy to play three spinners but he's very exciting and we're looking at him as a long-term prospect who will gain a lot from being around Anil and Harbhajan in the dressing room."
Dravid added that in Chawla and another young player Suresh Raina, India had two players who 'you'll hear a lot about in years to come.'
England will be introducing at least one player new to Test cricket in opener Alistair Cook, who is replacing Marcus Trescothick who returned home for family reasons.
Cook, who was called to the tour from the England A tour of the West Indies, is a former England Under-19 captain and he scored a double century for Essex against Australia last year.
There is also a chance that Monty Panesar may be included as a spinning option for England.
