What was billed as an edgy shootout between India, the world's No 1 team, and an up-and-coming England side has so far proved to be a one-sided rout.

England has been so dominant that India has started to resemble its sides of the 1970s, those that traveled more in hope than expectation. The much-vaunted batting line-up has not performed as a unit and only Rahul Dravid has looked in any sort of form. V.V.S. Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar have shown glimpses of quality but in reality "The Wall", as Dravid is known, has been bailing out a sinking ship on his own.

If England wins at Edgbaston, it will become the world's top Test team, on paper at least, and the side will be hoping the wicket lives up to expectations and provides plenty of help for its bowlers, who have looked a class apart from India's. The attack has cohesion, a fact that was noticeable when Tim Bresnan slotted straight back into the side as a replacement for the injured Chris Tremlett.

Bresnan's success at Trent Bridge - a five-wicket haul and 90 almost carefree runs in the second inning - suggests he is now undroppable. The Yorkshireman has also become something of a talisman, having been on the winning side in all eight Tests he's played.

Stuart Broad's return to form and Jimmy Anderson's probing swing have also meant that a largely anonymous Indian summer for offspinner Graeme Swann hasn't really mattered. All this makes it probable that Ravi Bopara, who rejoins the team after batsman Jonathan Trott was ruled out with a shoulder injury, will be the only change from the eleven that annihilated India at Nottingham.

India's bowling unit is in disarray; it has now lost Zaheer Khan for the rest of the tour - not that he'd actually done much since arriving in England - and also Harbhajan Singh. Singh's stomach injury has done India's selectors a favor, as the bowler was almost certain to be dropped; so innocuous did he look at Trent Bridge. Zaheer's replacement, R.P. Singh, is a talented left-arm swinger, but he hasn't played a Test since 2008 and will need to help energize a unit that has looked flat, despite occasional flashes from Parveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma.

Trent Bridge was memorable not only for England's biggest-ever run victory over India, 319, but also for M.S. Dhoni's decision to withdraw an appeal against Ian Bell after the batsman had wandered down the wicket without checking if the tea break had begun. India's supporters will be hoping that Dhoni and Co make the Edgbaston Test memorable for more enjoyable reasons.

Paul Tomic has been a diehard supporter of English cricket for more than 35 years, many of which have been unremittingly miserable. He can be contacted at paultomic@chinadaily.com.cn