England's tour to India is set to begin with the first two Tests of the four-match series in Chennai from February 5. The last time a Test match was played in Chennai, it was a similar fixture with India facing England in December 2016.

It was an absolute run-fest with England scoring 477 in the first innings and still losing by an innings. It was the Karnataka boys, Karun Nair and KL Rahul, who ensured that the visitors were kept on the field for far too long.

Nair became only the second Indian to score a Test triple hundred (303*) while Rahul fell one short of his maiden Test double century. India piled up 759/7 in the first innings and then skittled out England for 207, to win the 5-Test series 4-0.

IND v ENG 2021: WATCH - England cricket team arrives in Chennai for the first two Tests

Five pitches have been readied at the MA Chidambaran Stadium in Chennai for the two Test matches next month. All of them have even grass covering and the final decision of selecting the pitch will be taken by the Indian team management before the first Test.

Both the Test matches will be played on the same strip which will be selected for the first game. Despite the grass cover, the pitches are expected to be slow, but will be batting friendly according to a source.

A source told IANS, "The only difference is that the Chennai wicket has more grass than what it had in the past. Because of Covid-19, there was no cricket and the wicket is going to be fresh with grass."

"However, grass on the surface doesn't mean that the ball will seam. It can also turn out to be slow since there has been no cricket for long. Grass is naturally there because there has been no cricket for 9-10 months," he added.

(With IANS inputs)