England captain Andrew Strauss has warned his players not to be distracted by the hype surrounding England's upcoming series against India.
Thursday's Test at Lord's will be the 2,000th Test played as well as the 100th between England and India.
Meanwhile, Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar will aim to make his 100th international century in the encounter.
"The wider context is something we are not spending a lot of time focusing on," said Strauss.
"In any Test series every side is hoping to get off to a fast start, get ahead of the opposition team and earn the right over the course of the four Test matches to win the series. All that other stuff is not for us to concentrate on and will look after itself."
India are currently ranked the number one Test side in the world while England sit in third place.
