England surprised us all with the spirit and fight that they showed in the last series. After those enthralling tussles, India v Zimbabwe is inevitably going to pale in comparison, and you get the feeling that the Indian public isn't as geared up for this series as they were for the England one. India will certainly feel the pressure of heightened expectations. Though some will say that this is the perfect opportunity for players who have been under the cosh - on the recent tour of South Africa and again at home against England - to rediscover form and cement their places, it can also be looked at as a nothing-to-gain situation.

Sourav Ganguly, for one, will have to deal with the pressure of being expected to win every game in this series. His team does look very solid and well balanced, and on paper at least, they should comfortably dominate Zimbabwe. There is a reassuring feel to the batting with Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sunder Das to open, with VVS Laxman my choice to come in at No. 3. That's not to mention Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly himself.

On the bowling front, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan will be looking to knock Zimbabwe over twice in both Tests. One of the positive things to happen to Indian cricket over the past few years has been the abandonment of the policy of producing doctored pitches. On dustbowls that turned square from the first day, Indian spinners could wreak havoc and wrap up games in double-quick time. We don't have that luxury any more, and that's a step forward.

I'm looking forward to young Zaheer's performances, because I've been a huge fan. He is a potentially great fast bowler, with a tremendous attitude. He has the ability to run through a side and win a match on his own. People that have played against him recently in the Ranji Trophy were telling me that he's bowling genuinely quick again. Maybe the little niggle which kept him in the background for a while is a thing of the past.

I think we can expect a good Test-match pitch at Nagpur, similar to the ones we saw in the last two home series, against England and Australia. The Vidharba Cricket Association deserves its share of credit for the facilities they provide at the ground. The outfield is excellent, a considerable improvement on years past. The pitch has a bit of bounce, and although there will be some gentle turn, the spinners will be aided most by the lift off the pitch.

The fact that India won't go into the game with an unfair advantage means that Kumble and Harbhajan will have to really work on their bowling, as opposed to just relying on the pitch to deliver. In such a situation, we'll get a realistic idea of how good the Indian bowling attack really is. With Sarandeep Singh also included in the squad, the pressure will also be on Harbhajan to come up with matchwinning performances on a consistent basis.

It's good to see Alistair Campbell back in Zimbabwe's team. The side that I watched in Sharjah recently under Brian Murphy's captaincy looked out of their depth, and short of international class. Stuart Carlisle is a responsible player, and it's good that he has been entrusted with the captain's job. They gambled on Murphy in Sharjah, and it didn't work at all.

Zimbabwe's hopes of an upset will once again revolve around the batting form of Andy Flower. It's always impressed me how someone who has played all his cricket for such a weak side has managed to compile such an outstanding record against the best teams in the world. It's also been a revelation to see what an excellent player of spin he is, and to hear him say that playing spin comes to him more naturally than playing fast bowling.

The only comfort for India is that he didn't have a good series against Sri Lanka. There is also the law of averages that tends to catch up with a batsman sooner or later. Flower's batting on Zimbabwe's last tour of India - he made 540 runs at 270 - was almost inhuman, and led to the inevitable comparisons with Bradman. If he can repeat that showing, it would confirm his status as one of modern cricket's most precious assets.

Sanjay Manjrekar, mainstay of the Indian batting in the early 1990s, was talking to Dileep Premachandran.

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