Strauss to play Somerset against India

Desperate to shake off his indifferent form before the "significant" series against world number one India, England captain Andrew Strauss will turn up for Somerset in the tour match that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will play before the four Tests.

Strauss, who has retired from limited-overs internationals, just led England to a 1-0 Test series triumph over Sri Lanka but his own batting form has been disappointing and he will return to his county Middlesex for a four-day County Championship match against Gloucestershire now.

But that is the only match that the team, which Strauss has represented all his professional career, has lined up in the next three weeks.

This has prompted Strauss to play with Somerset (July 15-17) to be ready for the big four-match series starting July 21.