Former England captain Alec Stewart says that India will start as favourites for the one-day series against England that starts on Friday.

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England crashed to an embarrassing defeat at the hands of part-time cricketers Mumbai and are now very much the underdogs.

"Which way is the one-day series going to go? You'd have to say that India will start off as favourites but if England can reproduce the form they showed against South Africa at the back end of our English summer, then it could be a good contest," Stewart told Virgin Media.

"I've always said India is the toughest place to play in world cricket. Australia may be the best side but in India you are playing against a top class side and you're playing on facilities that you're not used to as in lower, slower turning wickets in a country which is foreign to you. Also, there are a billion people or so who are so passionate about the game that you have no spare moment to yourself. Having said all that, I used to love playing there and it's a great place to play."