India, June 18 -- The usual Bazball scheme of things is likely to dictate the proceedings in Leeds, where England will take on India for the first match of the five-game Test series, starting June 20. The expectation has been the same as it has been under head coach Brendon McCullum of a "good surface," but the unusually dry weather in Leeds forced the ground curator Richard Robinson to take a different approach to preparing the track.

Leeds is not the venue where England kick off things in the Test summer. It's more a mid-series trip to the city. But the staging of the opening game has attracted a lot more attention.

"They (England) just want to have a good surface so it's true, really, so we can hit through the line of the ball. That'...