Alastair Cook must balance his priorities of overturning odds against India and managing the start of England’s World Cup fact-finding mission when the Royal London Series gets under way in Bristol.

The captain, one week on from completing the glorious transition of his Test summer from certain failure into resounding victory, has already confirmed he will have a new opening partner in Alex Hales — and previous incumbent Ian Bell will bat at number three, weather permitting today.

Yet in almost the same breath, Cook acknowledged the elevation of explosive short-format specialist Hales may yet be a mere watching brief — with the restoration of Bell, in time for the World Cup early next year, still a fallback option.

As for his own position, set in stone as England seek to avoid the untimely upheavals which have beset previous World Cup preparations, Cook insists the identity of his opening partner will entail no significant amendment to his methods.

“I don’t think it changes my role,” he said.

“The job of the top four or five is to try and score a hundred, and win the game by setting up the game.

“You have to try and do it in your way. I have got to convert starts into scores. That’s the job of an opener.”