'Won't be easy for India to beat England at home' - Alastair Cook

India is currently involved in the final of the World Test Championship against New Zealand at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton. After the WTC final, India will square off against England in the five-match Test series, starting on August 4. Ahead of the Test series between India and England, former English skipper Alastair Cook opened up on the potential winner.

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England recently lost the Test series against New Zealand by 0-1. Cook believes that the hosts will take lessons from the same and will present a strong team in the Test series against India. Though the veteran admitted that India will pose a threat to the English side, he asserted that it will be extremely hard to beat England at home.

"It will be a better side with the players coming back against India. They'll clearly be better balanced which, I think, is a massive issue for them and forced some strange selections against New Zealand, like no spinner on a dry wicket. India have shown how good they are at the moment because they're in the World Test Championship final but, over five Test matches in England, England are hard to beat at home, and I'm expecting a very tight battle," said Cook.

Further, Cook added that the Indian players can also experience fatigue as they will be present in England for over three months. Also, performing consistently against England at their home is a tough challenge.

"India would have been here for a long time as well so could get mentally fatigued by the end of the tour. India will start pretty well but, consistently over five games, to beat England at home is a monumental effort. So I think if England hang in with India early on, there's no reason why they can't win," he added.