England are thinking what once seemed unthinkable - relieving Darren Gough of the new ball in Thursday's one-day international against India at New Delhi. Gough has been less than effective opening the bowling in the four one-dayers so far - he has gone for 193 from 35.4 overs - and the management are looking at whether he would be better used coming on after the 15-over fielding restrictions are removed. His opening spells in the last two ODIs have been hammered for 53 in just six overs.

"I've bowled first-change before, in the 1996 World Cup, and it has been mentioned," Gough told the BBC. "We've thought about it, especially because I'm probably England's best bowler later in the innings when you have to bowl wicket-to-wicket and slower balls come into play.

"I'm effective with the new ball in most places in the world,but here it's different."

And Gough admitted that bowling to Sachin Tendulkar was a far-from-easy task. "He doesn't get flustered at all - he just keeps going. He is not like other players after they get 60 or 70, red in the face, swinging their caps, sweat pouring off their faces. He doesn't seem bothered. He just keeps going. He doesn't run singles because he knows he's going to hit a boundary in the next three or four balls. You've got very little margin for error in length and line when you're bowling to him."

Gough, who will make his 100th one-day appearance for England if he plays in New Delhi, is likely to be replaced by Andy Caddick as Matthew Hoggard's new-ball partner. But he dismissed suggestions that India were a class above England. "It's a lot of rubbish," he said. "We could have been winning this series. We are two very close teams."

Martin Williamson is managing editor of Wisden.com.

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