5 issues that India need to sort out to defeat England

India are the World's No.1 ranked team in the ICC Test rankings, but they have hardly had any tour overseas for the last 2 years. It has been time and again observed that India's real test is 2018 where most of their assignments are overseas. Though India gave a tough fight to South Africa in the last Test series, they still couldn't defeat them.

There are many positives that India can take away from that show, and many areas that need improvement. The Afghanistan Test is an ideal platform for India to sort out these issues and if they can do that, then they can be a formidable side even abroad.

Here are 5 issues that India need to sort out to defeat England in Tests

1. Openers

For a long time now, India have struggled to find a reliable second opener. The plight for the second opening position has continued since the last time India toured England. Then, Gautam was taken as the third opener alongside Dhawan and Vijay while this time Dhawan has become the reserve opener. KL Rahul is expected to partner Murali Vijay at the top.

It is surprising to see a team ranked No.1 in Tests having issues at the top. These issues have persisted because Dhawan's limited overs performances have been considered as a criterion for selection in Test match cricket. On the other hand, while Vijay has played exceedingly well in harsh conditions, he has hardly got a chance in limited overs because of that. It is time that Dhawan's performances are distinguished clearly too. While he has had a few good innings in Test match cricket, they have mostly come on sub-continental conditions against toothless bowling attacks.

Though KL Rahul did have a few hiccups in South Africa, he has got his form back in the IPL. He has an excellent technique as well as temperament and should perform well in England too.

It would be interesting to see how the team management solve the problem with their openers.

2. Pace Bowling Trio

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India have never gone to England with a pace attack in which anyone who gets dropped would feel unlucky. They have never had the luxury of being spoiled for choices. This time though, all the five bowlers (expected to tour) can be expected to perform exceedingly well. Bhuvneshwar was the Man of the Series in the last Test series that India played in England. He is the best swing bowler India possesses and he can also bat. With India expected to go in with five batsmen, Saha and Hardik, his batting becomes very crucial.

Bumrah is the most unconventional of the lot which gives him a slight edge. He is quick in the air, can extract bounce, and can also get the ball to swing sharply.

Shami on his day can be lethal, as he showed in South Africa. Being the best reverse swing bowler, he can turn the match on its head. He also possesses vast experience and can be more than a handful in the English conditions.

Ishant has come a long way in the last 3-5 years in Test match cricket. He has become the leader of the pack. After being overlooked in limited overs cricket and even IPL, he has gone on to play County Cricket and has impressed there too with 17 wickets in 7 first-class innings.

Umesh Yadav has always been guilty of giving away too many runs and bowling wrong lines. However, in the past 12 months, he has improved considerably. He even had a great IPL, picking 20 wickets at an average of close to 20. He has that extra pace which can trouble the English batsmen.

Almost all of the five pacers have something unique in them. The team management will have to deliberate upon their selection very carefully.

3. Spinners

Indian And South African Cricket Teams Practice In Bengaluru

India have always had the luxury of quality spinners. The problem now is that these spinners have not performed overseas. India do have Ashwin and Jadeja who are placed high on the ICC Test rankings, but they have an abysmal record overseas. Both of them have a strike rate of close to 100 in overseas conditions (excluding the Sub Continent and West Indies).

With both having similar records, picking either of them didn't make much difference. This was the reason that Virat threw in a surprise in his first match by selecting Karn Sharma ahead of both of them.

Though Ashwin did show improvement in his last overseas tour of South Africa where he had a decent strike rate of 65, we should not rule out Kuldeep either who can bowl wrist spin with consistency. Also, with India expected to go in with Pandya instead of a 6th batsman, the team management will also have to give an edge to the bowler who can bat better than the other two.

4. The Wicketkeeper Batsman

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Wriddhiman Saha is unarguably the safest wicketkeeper in India currently, but in the modern era, it's essential for a wicketkeeper to be able to make the side as a batsman too. He fails in this aspect big time with an average of just 30. Jadeja and Ashwin have been as good as him, and Bhuvi has even bettered him overseas.

While playing in India, Saha's place can never be questioned because, in harsh conditions for wicket keeping, he not only excels but also takes some blinders. In England, where wicketkeeping is not as difficult, a better batsman can be more productive than him. His injury has also opened the doors for Dinesh Karthik (who is expected to replace him for the Afghanistan Test). Karthik has been going through a purple patch, and a good Test match against Afghanistan can push him ahead of Saha in the pecking order.

Another reason why Saha's place is in jeopardy is that India like to go in with 5 batsmen in which case they rely heavily on their wicketkeeper and the all-rounders to contribute with the bat.

5. No.6 Batsman or Pandya

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It has been 4 years since India started giving value to their 5th bowler in Test match cricket. After being whitewashed in England in 2011 earlier, India went aggressively into the first match of the 2014 tour by playing Binny ahead of the 6th batsman. Binny was not the best pace-bowling all-rounder India had but the only one who could flaunt those skills. With his medium pace, he couldn't trouble the English batsmen, and the Indian batting struggled so they went back to the 4 bowler strategy.

Since then under Virat Kohli, a lot has changed. India have always looked to go with 5 genuine bowlers especially overseas; they’ve not looked at a neither-here-nor-there option in Binny. With Pandya coming to the fore, it looked like Virat's problems would go away but Pandya's bowling skills are still under the scanner. He took just 3 wickets in South Africa (where the conditions are ideal for his bowling style) with a Strike Rate of over 100. While he did play a crucial innings for India in the first Test match, the rest of his performances showed that he still has a long way to go.

Pandya should still slot in as the all-rounder, but it won't be a surprise either if the 6th batsman is given more importance.

What do you think is India's biggest problem? Have your say in the comments.