By BD Naraayannkar Hyderabad, Jan 24 (Reporter) A fierce battle awaits their fans between an immovable juggernaut and Bazball cricket as India welcomes England for the five-match Test series at home, which kickstarts at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Thursday. Brendon McCullum's team arrives in India with a big reputation for playing aggressive cricket in the red-ball arena since the Kiwi donned the role of a coach. His team has an enviable record of winning 13 of the last 18 Test matches, while scoring runs at the rate of 4.5 runs per over. However, McCullum's brand of cricket faces its toughest test on Indian soil. The hosts have won 16 consecutive Test series, just losing three of their last 46 Test matches at home. Rohit Sharma's boys will be eyeing to extend home supremacy this calendar year, but he will have to do without the services of one of their pillars for the first two Test matches. Though Virat Kohli has opted out for the first two Tests due to personal reasons, Rohit has a sturdy backup in the garb of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who can provide a cushion to the top order, which includes Rohit, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel are likely to push for the specialist wicketkeeper's spot. Likewise, England is also without the services of a key performer in Bazball cricket with Harry Brook pulling out of the tournament for personal reasons, making way for Dan Lawrence as a replacement. All the focus will be on whether England's hepped-up batting style can sustain turning Indian pitches while facing Indian spinners. Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have taken 530-plus wickets between them at an average of 20.7. The duo will be backed by a stellar supporting cast, featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Axar Patel. England's spin attack meanwhile features three rookies, having just a test worth of experience between them, putting the onus on Jack Leach to do the heavy lifting with the ball. The world test championship points are also at stake with both the teams sitting at opposite ends in the points table. India are sitting pretty at second position after two away series against West Indies and South Africa. England, on the other hand, is placed 8th in the points table just above Sri Lanka. They have garnered just 15 percent of points on offer so far. As the action begins tomorrow, the big question looms - Can Ben Stokes's team echo Alastair Cook's heroes in 2012 or does India's juggernaut reign supreme once again at home? Wait and watch as the script unfolds in the coming days. India (probable): Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Mark Wood, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach...////...