England-India factbox before the first of a four-Test series starting at Lord's in London on Thursday.
* The first Test will be the 2,000th ever staged and the 100th between the two countries. England have won 34 matches, India 19 and 46 have been drawn.
* England will overtake India as the world's number one side if they win the series by a margin of at least two Tests.
* India's Sachin Tendulkar needs one century to become the first man to score 100 international hundreds.
* India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led his side to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-overs World Cup this year. He has taken India to number one in the world Test rankings for the first time and never lost a series.
* Former Zimbabwe captain Duncan Fletcher, the England coach during their 2005 Ashes triumph and now with India, will become the first head coach to take charge for 100 Tests.
- Dhoni determined to extend India's dominance
- 'Swing and bounce key to nullify Tendulkar threat'
- Numbers Game: India vs England
Highest innings totals
For England in England; 653-4 declared at Lord's, 1990.
England in India; 652-7 declared at Madras, 1984-5.
For India in England; 664 at the Oval, 2007.
India in India; 591 at Bombay, 1992-3.
Highest individual scores
England, 333 Graham Gooch at Lord's, 1990.
India, 224 Vinod Kambli at Bombay, 1992-3.
Best bowling
England, Fred Trueman 8-31 at Manchester 1952
India, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar 8-79 at Delhi 1972-3.