London, July 18 -- Sir Neville Cardus, the doyen of cricket scribes, once lamented 'the sun never shines at Old Trafford'. If the BBC forecast is to be believed, it could rain on the first and last days and be mostly overcast in between, with a maximum temperature of 23 degrees. In effect, characteristically English summer conditions, which the touring Indian cricketers haven't encountered in the first three Test matches. Kumar Sri Ranjitsinhji, prince of Nawanagar, now Jamnagar, became the first England batsman to score 100 runs in a session - that, too, on his Test debut - at Old Trafford in 1896. His magical batting evoked a description of 'esoteric legerdemain'. For India, Vijay Merchant and Mushtaq Ali in 1936 nailed hundreds to post 203 runs for the first wicket. Sunil Gavaskar in 1974 battled seamers under scowling skies to record a remarkable century. But it was bright and sunny when Sandip Patil pummelled the late Bob Willis for six fours in an over in 1982; and when India knocked England out of the 1983 World Cup. In 1990, a 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar caused a sensation with a match-saving, unbeaten 119. Next week, the Indian team descend on this second oldest Test ground in England - which has hosted the highest level of the sport since 1884. India, though, have never won a Test at this venue, losing four times in nine appearances. However in recent years, the ball has gyrated the most at Old Trafford among England's test grounds. Yet, unless there's a change in the Indian tour selectors' policy, left-arm wrist-spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, is unlikely to get a look-in. Asked to indicate an XI for Old Trafford, Gill was confident the dashing Rishabh Pant - who injured his fingers while 'keeping at Lord's - will play. He spoke of a 'settled XII', suggesting Prasidh Krishna would return, if the talismanic Jasprit Bumrah - who has devoured two five-wicket hauls in as many tests, including seven scalps in the last match - is rested to manage his workload. It is understandable that India will not indulge in three spinners and cannot possibly overlook Ravindra Jadeja or Washington Sundar on current form. Cloud cover could mean the ball will wobble in the air; but not necessarily move off the seam, if there's not much grass on the strip. At Lord's - home of the guardians of the laws of cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club - there was belief on both sides. The question was, for which team it would be a triumph, and for which a tribulation? In the land of Shakespeare, was it 'to be or not to be' for India? In the event, England won by 22 runs, thereby taking a 2-1 lead in a pulsating 5-test series. Lord's was classically a tale of two tests. For the first three days of the five-day saga, batters prevailed on a slow pitch, notwithstanding a glistening of grass on it. Then, quite dramatically, from the fourth morning the bounce became uneven and faster balls occasionally jagged in disconcertingly. But there unfolded a parable of the slightly unexpected. Sundar, the underrated and under-bowled off-spinner - not the Indian quicker bowlers - turned the game on its head. Known for his ability to bowl armers, he dismissed four batsmen with this delivery, including the England mainstay Joe Root bowled around his legs and their captain Ben Stokes the same way as he left his leg-stump exposed. Both had attempted to sweep. Sunder then foxed the hard-hitting Jamie Smith as he erroneously played for an off-break. England would be wary of Sundar at Old Trafford. Jadeja can join the party by sending down his left-arm spinners slower, thereby extracting more turn. 193 to win was perfectly obtainable, for the pitch on the final day didn't transpire to be as treacherous to batsmen as anticipated. No Indian batter was a victim of misbehaviour by the wicket. They were found wanting technically and temperamentally, for this generation is less accustomed to surfaces and tensions that arise in fifth day situations. So, they need to learn quickly, if they are to keep the series alive at Old Trafford. English groundsmen have mastered the art of curating tracks which last the duration of a Test, yet produce a positive outcome. This is what the England & Wales Cricket Board prescribe, since it rakes in five days of gate, food and beverages and merchandise receipts. An India series is presently the most profitable summer for the ECB, surpassing revenue from Ashes contests. It's a treat for cricket connoisseurs to witness packed galleries in tests. Fulsome numbers of Indian supporters lend today's Indian cricketers the advantage of feeling at home, as opposed to the alien atmosphere their predecessors experienced. Last week, Norman Tebbit, 94, once a prominent British politician, passed away. He had suggested that an immigrant's loyalty to Britain is determined by whether he or she roots for England in cricket. British Indians happily fail the 'Tebbit test'; and can be expected to do so again at Old Trafford....