5 things India should do to win Test series against England

India has shown invincible performances at home, but the Virat Kohli led side needs to win overseas to justify their ICC rankings in the true sense. India's surge to reign their supremacy over World cricket begins with the five-match Test series against England followed by a four-match Test series in Australia later this year.

The men in Blue have shown signs of courageous performances against the Aussies in their last tour down under but they need to settle some unfinished business in England especially after getting decimated in their last two tours.

With a long series in prospect, India would keep in mind the mistakes committed in the previous tours as they look to dominate a wounded England side in their own backyard. It's never easy to hunt a lion in his own den, but this Indian side is led by a determined skipper who knows how to plan a trap even if it is against the best in the world.

There are certain areas of concern for the visitors which they need to set right before they take the field for the first Test on August 1. We take a look at some of the things that India needs to do to win the Test series against England:

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#5. Managing the workload of seamers

India were dealt with a major blow even before the start of the Test series as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who aggravated a lower back problem in the final ODI against England was deemed unavailable for the first three Tests against England.

While Bumrah, who was ruled out of the limited-overs leg was recalled for the Test series but will be available only after the first Test match. This leaves India in a sort of bother with onus now on the trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav with Shardul Thakur as the backup to help their side coast to victory even in adverse situations.

In a long and gruelling 5-match Test series, the team management will be wary of the possible breakdown of the bowlers, especially the pacers. Since two of their premier fast bowlers from the recent tour to South Africa are already sidelined due to injury for the first Test match, India would hope that others are 100% fit to play the series opener.

In England, pacers enjoy most of the overs, so it will be a challenge for them to bowl at their peak and try not to get caught by any sort of injuries.

#4. Take catches at slips

Indian slip catching has seen a dip in form ever since India's regulars in the slip with the likes of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and others retired from the longest format of the game. Indian slip cordon fashioned a new look in 2013-14 after a very long time with Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan taking the responsibility. But, despite being the best fielders in the business, some of the players have failed miserably to hold on to catches coming their way.

Since 2013, India have dropped more than what they grabbed in the slips. To number them, they have dropped 46 and taken 38 off pacers ever since the SA tour in 2013-14. Slip catching is an important aspect, especially on overseas tours. It is would be essential for Virat Kohli to decide his players who can be banked upon for the entire tour to take catches in slips.

#3. Don't drop Rahane

Indian team management took a very peculiar decision when they opted to make their vice-captain warm the benches for the first two Tests against South Africa, earlier this year. It was going against his previous records that Rahane was made to sit out.

But it was too late when Kohli decided to include the vice-captain in the playing XI in the final Test as he went onto prove his skipper's decision of dropping him wrong by top-scoring in the second innings.

Now with an important series at stake, Kohli should not even think of dropping Ajinkya in any of the Test matches. Rahane's overseas records speak for himself as he is the only current Indian player to average more outside India.

His century on the last tour at Lord's and the ability to negate England's pace bowling threat is something that everyone admired in 2014. He provides the stability in the middle order especially against the reverse swing and there are no second thoughts why Rahane should not feature in the playing XI.

#2. Play R Ashwin ahead of Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has witnessed much success in a very short span of time. Buoyed by his performances in the limited overs format and in the need of a genuine all-rounder, he has been given due opportunities in the longest format of the game. A move which was seen to strengthen India's batting and give the requisite balance to the side is not paying rich dividends, especially on overseas tours. As a bowler Pandya is considered as the fifth bowling option and hence ends up being the weak link in India's bowling attack.

Instead, India should fancy playing Ashwin as a proper all-rounder. With experience by his side, India's current best spinner has shown form with his bat and can be a handy batsman in the lower order. His chances of featuring in the playing XI are also supported by the current weather conditions in England which are suitable for any spinner in the World.

Ashwin is a better bowler than Hardik on any given day and can contribute with the bat to allow the team to play an extra bowler. This might tempt the visitors to play Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Jadeja as the second spin bowling option.

#1. Open with Murali Vijay and KL Rahul

It has often been the trend that Shikhar starts any overseas tour as the opener and is seen warming the benches after a couple of failures in the series. Even in India's practice game vs Essex at Chelmsford, Dhawan bagged a pair, raising questions over his place in the playing XI on coming August 1. To add to his worries, KL Rahul looked in some form as he got runs in both the innings.

To add to KL's confidence, he was even given a go at the top of the order in the second innings, hinting about the possibility with which India might go in the first Test match. If this is the case, India then open with Murali Vijay, who got to a fifty in the first innings, and KL Rahul with no place for Shikhar Dhawan.

This can be a blessing in disguise as even in the past Dhawan has failed to deliver against the moving ball and Rahul has been an all-season player, as runs have flown wherever he has played for India.