There is no doubt, to Ben Duckett at least, about whether England can become the first team to inflict a series defeat on India in India since 2012. 

Nor is there any uncertainty around the way the Three Lions plan to go about their pursuit of victory. 

It was just over 12 months ago that the Notts opener was leading the charge in Pakistan as England completed a clean sweep of the Shaheens; no other side had won all their games in a Test Series in Pakistan since New Zealand won a one-off game in 2002. 

There is hard evidence that the front-foot formula works. 

“It has probably got to the stage where people should be getting behind us rather than just waiting for us to fail,” Duckett admitted. 

“India haven’t been beaten at home since 2012, so there is proof that going out there and playing in a certain way hasn’t worked. 

“We are not naive to think it isn’t going to be difficult, but we have got a really good squad who have played together for 18 months and we know the way we want to play.

“I think people should be excited to watch how we are going to go about things - I’m not sure how many teams have picked up a clean sweep away in Pakistan but we did that. 

“There is a lot of calm and a lot of thought that goes behind what we want to do and we have shown that over the last two years. It is not just reckless; there is a lot of good cricket behind our approach.”

In that series against Pakistan - England’s second Test Series since the inception of ‘Bazball’ - Duckett averaged 71. 

In the summer just gone, he averaged a shade under 36 against the bowling attack he deems the best in the world. 

The challenge that awaits him may be tougher still in some eyes, but recent experience of the sub-continent is useful and the 29-year-old fully understands his own assignment at the top of the order.

“Knowing what to expect in India is massive and the experience in this squad helps,” Duckett said.  

“I’ve been thinking about how I might approach this tour for six months if I was picked. I wanted to plan a long time ago rather than having to get out here then react after two Tests. 

“When you come to places like this, every individual will have their own plans. People play in different ways in any environment but certainly here. 

“Rooty will have his own tried and tested method for example, but that might be different from everyone else. 

“Personally, it is important to read conditions out here and work out what that pitch is going to be like early on - that is a big job for me and Zak.

“We need to assess if it is the type pitch which might cause a finish at the end of day two or early day three, and relay that information on. 

“Quick runs might be more valuable than spending longer at the crease waiting for a ball that has your name on it.

“You just need to see how much one spins past your bat early on with the new ball, and you know it is going to be tough. Communication here is just as important as the skill of playing the ball.”

It will also be Duckett’s first Test series since securing a two-year central contract with the ECB. 

You could be forgiven for thinking it might provide him with a sense of security, but Duckett says that feeling predates his international employment - Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have given him the means to succeed for the last 15 months. 

And having been on a pre-India camp in Abu Dhabi with a team who have grown over the best part of two years, England are as well placed as possible to repeat the feat of the victorious Three Lions team from 12 years ago.

“The year I’ve had is probably because of the way Stokesy and Baz worked with me, and they gave me that from ball one in Pakistan last year,” Duckett said. 

“It was never a case of giving me one game to prove myself, they gave me security to know I would have chances. 

“It is nice to be rewarded with a central contract but it genuinely hasn't had an impact on me or how I play my cricket. 

“Heading into this series, I have hit thousands of balls. We had training every day except maybe two in Abu Dhabi, so it was nice to get in that volume of work and be as a group there. 

“We had a bit more freedom than we might do in India which is an amazing country but you spend a lot of time in hotel rooms and we are here for a long time.

“That can be quite tough mentally. It was nice to get our hard work so we could go and play golf or stroll and take some time off around in the afternoon. 

“Nowadays the mind can be half the battle, keeping that fresh and enjoying ourselves is massive.”