Anthony McGrath says England will be playing with fire if they are aiming to secure top spot in the ICC rankings during the forthcoming series with India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side are currently ranked the world’s number one, but England will jump two places and replace them should they win the four-match series by a two-Test margin.

Yorkshire batsman McGrath, who played four Tests in 2003, believes home advantage and a better bowling attack gives Andrew Strauss and company the edge, but knows only too well the dangers that India pose.

Ahead of tomorrow’s first Test at Lord’s, the 35-year-old said: “England have a real chance, especially in our conditions.

“But, with the likes of Sachin, Dravid, Laxman and all those players, it’s going to be a real tough series. If England can produce their best form, I think we can win it.

“India have just come off a tour to the West Indies, and a couple of their big players weren’t there. I’m not sure how much cricket they’ll have had. Maybe we can catch them a little bit cold in the first Test.

“There’s plenty of runs in the England side, and there’s obviously plenty in theirs too, but I think we’re more likely to get 20 wickets.”

South Africa are currently sandwiched between England and India in the rankings. But, with the latter two in impressive form of late, this could be classed as a series between the irresistible force and the immovable object.

“You would probably say that, despite the rankings, it’s between the best two teams over the past couple of years,” added McGrath. “But I think the main thing for England is to win the series.

“The rankings will look after themselves. If you win your next series after that, you climb again. If you start looking at things like winning by two Tests, it gets dangerous.

“All you can do is follow the cliché of concentrating on each Test and try to get in front early, like we did against Sri Lanka, to make sure you’re in control of the series.

“I know both teams will go hard, and it will be interesting to see who takes the initiative early on.”

The first Test could signal the capture of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international hundred.

Tendulkar, 38, spent the summer of 1992 as Yorkshire’s overseas player, the first one signed by the county.

He was 19 and scored 1,070 runs from 16 four-day matches, including one century.

McGrath, who was coming through the junior ranks at Headingley at the time, never met the Little Master.

But, while he knows that the right-hander will be a key man in the series, he has warned England against focusing all their attentions on him.

“You can’t just single him out, you just have to go through their list,” McGrath added. “Laxman, Dhoni and Dravid, they’re all fantastic players.”

Jacques Rudolph will play in today’s Roses LV= County Championship match against Lancashire at Headingley after Yorkshire received the No Objection Certificate from Cricket South Africa yesterday.