As chief cricket correspondent for The Times and a regular on Test Match Special, CMJ is perfect poised to offer assesment on England's performance against India.

England failed to capitalize on what many believe was their best chance of victory in Mohali on a seamers' wicket.

CMJ answered your questions on the Mohali defeat and the forthcoming matches.

Do England have any chance of winning the series?

I think it's very unlikely. India won the first Test very well, and their two spin bowlers dominated a very inexperienced English side. Curiously enough, I think the only way that India could lose it now would be for them to prepare pitches that are so helpful to the spinners in the forthcoming Tests, that it brings England's spinners into the game more.

Young Dawson bowled very well in his first Test match, and Martyn Ball is an experience off-spinner. If they were to bowl on really difficult turning pitches, that might equalise things a little bit. Having said that, I think it's much more likely that India will win the series, especially now that Javagal Srinath has been unexpectedly recalled. They ought to win it 3-0.

Gary, England

Nasser Hussain has said his team need to learn how to play spin bowling before the second Test. Haven't they left it rather too late?

Yes, but of course their hand was forced to a certain extent by the retirement of Mike Atherton, and by the fact that Alec Stewart, of the experienced batsmen, wasn't fit. I think on paper that England have got a pretty useful top five or six, but it's a shame that Michael Vaughan couldn't find his way into the side.

I would certainly have had him rather than one of the two all-rounders (Craig white or Andrew Flintoff). In Mohali they found themselves on a pitch that bounced much more than it had in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last winter, and also where it came through much more quickly. But England did not bat at all well, especially in the first innings. They really threw away a jolly good position.

Kevin Fielding, UK

Will it be Ball or Dawson on a spinning pitch in Ahmedabad? And will it be a record score for India?

It'll be Dawson again, but I'm sure England will want to play a second spinner, and if Ashley Giles does not pass a fitness test - and that really is touch and go - then I think Martyn Ball will also play, and I don't think he'd let anyone down.

Sanjeev Patel, India

In Kumble and Singh, I feel India have the best spin duo in world cricket. Would you agree?

I definitely would. Haberjhan Singh proved himself to be a world-class off-spinner against Australia - something a little bit different. He has got the ball that goes away from the right-hander as well as a sharp off break, and because he's got a nice high action he makes the ball bounce.

Anil Kumble has always been an original bowler. He's not a great turner of the ball, but again he gets pace and bounce off the pitch, and he's now clearly back to his best after his shoulder operation last January. So they make a formidable pair.

Mani, India

What would you regard as a good series result for England? I think if England emerge 2-0 they've done okay.

I agree. I think for them to get a draw somewhere would be an achievement, and to get a win would obviously be absolutely delightful for them. They did excel themselves in Sri Lanka and Pakistan last winter when they won against the odd in both series, but they now have a much less experienced side than that one was, and it's a learning process for a number of those in the team.

Ravi Shetty, India

I can understand England's need for as many bowlers as possible, but white and Flintoff at six and seven left them very thin on batting. Do you see Vaughan stepping up in the second Test?

I'm not sure if the selectors will change their mind but I think they should. I would definitely have Vaughan in the side. He got a hundred in his last Test match, and is a good, sound, orthodox player, although he has struggled with injuries. I think that part of the reason they played two all-rounders and two extra fast bowlers in the first Test is that they were aware that is a three-Test series, played back-to-back, and that some of them could get very tired. But I think they have to have a sixth specialist batsman and that Vaughan should play.

Colin, UK

I really don't understand the inclusion of Andrew Flintoff. He can't bowl, bat or field to Test standard. Do you think his selection can be justified?

He's a frustrating cricketer, because he looks so good in small patches, but has not been able to turn it on when it comes to Test cricket. Having said that, he undoubtedly has a lot of raw talent. He was a prolific scorer of runs as a schoolboy, he's immensely strong, and I think England are right to persevere with him. If they do, I'm sure that his current Test figures will be very different in five or ten years' time.

He seems to have learnt how to become a professional cricketer in the last few months. He's much fitter than he was, and I think he might yet surprise a few people. He should have had two wickets in the first test, if only England's fielding had been more reliable.

Phillip Burrow, England

Why have England taken warren Hegg on tour and not yet played him? Foster looks pout of his depth at Test level.

A good question. In my view, he should have played in at least one of the warm up matches, because if Foster were to get ill or injured, Hegg would have to come in without any match practice. He's an experienced cricketer, and personally I would have made James Foster wait for his chance rather than giving it to him too early. Foster had a very disappointing first Test, and I'm sure he'll improve on that, but I do think that Hegg should perhaps have been chosen first.

Terry Cooper, Staines

Considering India's awesome batting line-up, is there any advice you have for England's bowlers in the second Test, or is it an impossible task to shackle them?

I don't think it is an impossible task; indeed they succeeded in shackling them for long periods in the first match by bowling a very disciplined line just outside the off-stump to an offside field that was packed. The problem for England was not so much keeping the runs down as getting the batsman out, and dropping important chances.

If they'd taken all the catching and stumping opportunities that they missed, it would have been a much closer game. I think the first priority for England is to continue to bowl in a disciplined way, and to make sure those catches stick.