5 Things which Indian Team will look to fix ahead of the Third Test

A stupendous all-around effort from Joe Root led England saw the Indian team get hammered in the most obnoxious manner possible at the Home of Cricket, Lords. England Team managed to continue their dazzling stint which eventually helped them to outclass the opposition in all three areas of the game.

With this win, England Team has not only been able to prove their dominance but have also left India to answer some pivotal questions. In the first two games, though the result on paper suggests that the Indian team competed in one game and were outplayed in the other, however, if we keep aside skipper Virat Kohli's performance with the bat and Ashwin and Ishant's performance with the ball, the result would have probably looked the same in the first Test as well.

The third of the five-match Test series between two nations is scheduled to begin in days time, which will probably prove to be the most important game of this bilateral series. The win on either of one side will define where the series is going to be tilted. The Indian team needs to collectively regroup and express better on the field. With this, Indian Team will have more questions to answer than England. In this piece, we will see the five things which the Indian team look to fix before the start of the third Test.

#1. Share The Responsibility

In the first two games against England, the Indian team hasn't been able to share the responsibility with the bat. For instance, In the first encounter, India made 436 runs, of which, Kohli made 200 which was almost half of the total number of runs scored by the Indian team. This tells us that the other batsmen batted at an average of just above 11 runs.

Even in the second game, the Indian batsmen probably replicated their first game's performance which looked disastrous as their captain, who made the most amount of runs in the first Test failed to get going. Going forward, Indian team need to share the responsibility and believe in their skills if they wish to turn things around in the upcoming games.

# 2. Back The Players

Virat Kohli has now captained India in 37 Test in which he hasn't gone with the same eleven more than once. The team has always seen either tactical or forced change in Virat Kohli's captaincy. It has been seen that the new era of the Indian Cricket plays with the mindset, 'of perform and stay or make a place for another player'. Though, healthy competitiveness is something which Indian team looks to have, however, this also means that the Indian team isn't backing their players.

For instance, earlier this year Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from playing eleven against South Africa because of his strike-rate. He was however called back into the playing eleven in the last Test match but never looked the same player. Even in this game, almost everyone except Virat had failed to make a mark, but it was Shikhar who had to give his place for Pujara to come in. Going forward, it will be important for the Indian team to give their players a longer run and back them.

#3. Boost Much Needed Confidence

It has been seen in past that after a defeat like one suffered by India yesterday against England, players sometimes get under immense pressure and not able to concentrate on the hour requirement. Take Indian opener Murali Vijay for example, he has had a quiet series so far, which became even worse after he got out on a pair of ducks in the second Test match.

Further, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul have also been working regressively with the full fortitude in the nets but haven't been able to get runs for India on the match-day. It will be very important for the skipper and the team management to boost their morale and confidence, to get the best results on the field.

#4. Injury Concerns

Though Injury has always been part and parcel in a sportsman's career but coming at a time when the teams need him the most is probably the last thing one would want. Having lost Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah for two straight games and now with Virat Kohli struggling with his back, it has probably been the worst thing Indian Cricket could have ever asked for.

The third match will be played at the Nottingham on the 18th of August and Indian management along with fans will be hoping for the return of Jasprit Bumrah, who can prove to be India's savior in this series and of course skipper Virat Kohli to get 100 percent fit. It will be interesting to see if Indian physio can work hard with both of them and get them ready for the all-important game on Saturday.

#5. Bowl-All Six Deliveries With Same Intensity

Indian bowlers have been able to do a spectacular job in first two games with likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammad Shami pitching the ball in right areas and getting all-important wickets for the skipper. However, they have time and again bowled a loose ball which had led to release the pressure.

It will be important for the trio to replicate what James Anderson and Stuart Broad do. The duo looks to utilize their form to the fullest and once they find their rhythm they look to maintain the pressure by pitching all six deliveries with the same intensity. It will be interesting to see if Indian bowlers can do that in the games to follow.