STUART BROAD enters his 100th Test here tomorrow insisting he lives and breathes for challenges such as an away series in India.
The paceman, 30, says the toughest assignments still rouse his competitive instincts and make him want to weave a golden thread through cricket history.
Perhaps second in prestige only to an Ashes showdown — and the toughest of all in sheer cricketing terms — Broad should be in his element over the next six weeks.
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England face an Indian team ranked world No 1 in Test cricket having won 12 of their 13 home matches since Alastair Cook’s team triumphed here in 2012.
The other match was ruined by rain.
Few give England a chance. The tourists have inferior spinners and, judging by their vaporisation from 100-0 to 164 all out in Bangladesh last week, are pretty damn hopeless batting against spin, too.
Broad said of his 100th cap: “I’m aware how special an achievement it is because of the players that have gone before me — and the amount they’ve given to English cricket.
“So to receive a cap with ‘100’ below the Three Lions will be special. But what excites me more is that this is the start of a huge series.
“There’s no bigger occasion than playing in India against the world’s No 1 team. My character has always been someone who likes playing in big games.
“We come as massive underdogs. We’ve beaten India three times on the bounce but recently they have played some brilliant cricket here.
“We’ve nothing to fear because not many of our players have played here. That’s a positive and should allow us to play our natural games and take the game to India.”
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Broad is the 64th player to reach 100 Test matches and the 13th from England.
He might not be a truly great bowler but he is certainly capable of great spells — such as his 8-15 against Australia at Trent Bridge last year and January’s destruction of South Africa in Johannesburg.
Broad still wants to play in at least another two Ashes series, which would take him through to 2019. He said: “I try not to think about end of careers because that makes you slow down as a player.
“As soon as you set those targets, you stop chasing to improve, you stop training so hard. This series is a chance to show what I can do in India.
“In 2012, I lacerated the fat pad in my left heel before the First Test and the scans didn’t show it.
“I probably shouldn’t have played that series — I wasn’t fit. I only bowled about 25 overs. It was a frustrating period but I feel in a good place at the moment.
“I’ve felt good in the nets and have been doing some good work shaping the new ball away from right-handers.”
The toss will be vital — batting first is a big advantage — and if Cook can win at least three out of five, it should not be the bloodbath people expect.
If England build big totals, they can apply pressure — especially if James Anderson is fit for the final three or four matches.
Jos Buttler looks certain to replace Gary Ballance at No 4 with England likely to revert to the same attack which played the First Test in Bangladesh last month.
ENGLAND (likely): Cook (capt), Duckett, Root, Buttler, Moeen Ali, Stokes, Bairstow (wkt), Woakes, Rashid, Broad, Batty.
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