Thursday, November 15, 2001 The second in a two-part guide to what England's tourists need to do in India. Yesterday it was the batsmen (click here). Today it's the bowlers and wicketkeepers

Craig White
In Darren Gough's absence, your ability to find reverse-swing in mid-innings is vital. And this time there won't be any Aussies around to question your virility. You must rebuild that fragile confidence, because England need you to be a mini-Gilchrist at No. 7 and get down the track to the spinners, like you did to Saqlain Mushtaq. Don't be afraid of failure. And go easy on the sunstroke-inducing crew cuts: it's not a good idea to encourage comparisons with Chris Lewis.

Warren Hegg
This could be a tour of self-sacrifice. For the sake of English cricket, you've got to be like a father to James Foster. Unlike you, he could be around for at least 10 years, so pass on that Lancashire nous, and tell him how to catch skyers. If you get a bat yourself, watch out for those fly slips, which your former county colleague Sourav Ganguly should post immediately - assuming he bothered watching you bat during his summer horribilis at Lancashire in 2000.

James Foster
If you thought Durham University was a steep learning curve, think again. An Indian tour was too much for Richard Blakey in 1992-93, but it could make a man out of you, especially if you let your glovework and batting - rather than your mouth - do the talking. Alec Stewart always struggled to keep to the spinners, so this is a great chance to get one over the Gaffer. A series spent a few yards behind Sachin should do wonders for your batting too.

Ashley Giles
First things first. Look after your Achilles tendon, which is fast becoming your Achilles heel. India have feasted on a fully fit Warne in the past, so quite what they'd do to a hobbling version of your former self doesn't bear thinking about. Think instead about how you winkled out 17 Pakistanis last winter. Keep it tight again, and India might crack. And try to halt your slide into the realms of Test bunnydom. You're a better batsman than that average of 10.55.

Martyn Ball
You're 31 - a prime age for an offspinner, as you've pointed out - and you're in the form of your life, according to John Bracewell. You're the wide-eyed county pro of the party, but this means you'll be watched more closely than you realise: journeymen everywhere will be willing you on in the hope that one day they too will be plucked from obscurity. Don't do an Eddie Hemmings and spear the ball in at middle and leg: give it air outside off, and you might pip Richard Dawson to a Test spot.

Richard Dawson
Bet you never expected to be here. Now that you are, don't be overawed. Nobody expects you to run through the best players of spin in the world, but they do expect you to learn. Your challenge will be to arrive home with your self-belief intact, which is more than Graeme Swann (South Africa, 1999-2000) and Jason Brown (Sri Lanka, 2000-01) managed. And to stay ahead of Martyn Ball in the pecking order.

James Ormond
Pay no attention to the doubters who argue that swing bowlers in India should be carrying the drinks. John Lever, Chris Old and Neil Foster are living proof that this is rubbish, to say nothing of Kapil Dev. If you get a game - possibly at Mohali - you will probably be first change, which is the hardest time to bowl in India: too late for lavish seam movement, too early for reverse-swing. So just aim for consistency. And practise those offbreaks.

Richard Johnson
Apparently you hit the deck hard. This might be wishy-washy pros' speak to justify your selection. Or it might be true. If it is, you could make a name for yourself, and it's likely to be with the new ball. The shine goes quickly in India, so go flat out for an early breakthrough. And don't be afraid to experiment with slower balls, like Gough did in Pakistan. Make your Somerset colleague Andy Caddick sorry he said no.

Matthew Hoggard
Your job is to get the Indian crowd chanting "Oggie, Oggie, Oggie" as you charge in to bowl. You have it in you to be England's cult figure, so go for it. You've got pace and bounce, line and length: all you have to do is imagine Stuart Carlisle's head on VVS Laxman's shoulders. In your last Test, against Pakistan at Old Trafford, you tended to bowl a maiden, then ruin things in the next over. Make the Indians hop around, and you could be the star of the tour.

Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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