England will not play a friendly if the first Test is rendered unofficial by the inclusion of Virender Sehwag. This was made clear by the ECB chairman Lord MacLaurin after Sehwag was named in India's 14-man squad for game, which is due to start at Mohali on Monday. "We will not play a friendly Test," MacLaurin told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We are there to play real cricket, and we support the ICC in suspending him [Sehwag]." Perhaps unsure how to pronounce Sehwag's name, MacLaurin added, "The gentleman concerned has a one-match ban, and we won't be playing against a team with a banned cricketer in it."

When asked whether the cancellation of the first Test would lead to the cancellation of the whole tour, MacLaurin was hesitant. "We won't know what will happen. We're taking it a day at a time. We hope good sense prevails."

For the time being, all that is prevailing is political gridlock. And if India continue to flout ICC by picking Sehwag, England will have no choice but to cancel the tour, which in turn is likely to mean the cancellation of India's trip to England next year. The ramifications don't bear thinking about.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd