3 things India need to improve on for tour of England

As the Twenty20 extravaganza in the form of the much advertised and hyped Indian Premier League is about to end, the Indian team gears up for a gruelling tour to England. The hosts themselves have been shattered and are going through one of their worst lows in modern times after a horrifying tour in Australia where they lost 12 of their 13 games, which included a 5-0 humbling in the Ashes series.That was followed by a very average tour in West Indies and another horror show in the World T20 in Bangladesh. However, England will certainly feel a lot comfortable when they embark upon their new era at home.India, much like England, have been struggling recently. They are now win-less in 14 Tests outside Asia, having lost as many as 10 of them. Although they have fielded two completely different teams in most of these Tests, the record still stands. And with every subsequent loss the once charismatic captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who enjoys a cult like status among his fans, will be having a disturbing nights sleep.With tours to England and Australia lined up in the next 10 months, here are the 3 most importantthings that the team should focus on for better results:

#1 Fast Bowling

Ever since India was separated from Pakistan, they have struggled to produce quality fast bowlers who win you Test matches. It does seem strange that a huge country like India, so obsessed with cricket have not been able to field three quality fast bowlers at a time.

Indian bowlers at best have bordered around mediocrity. There have been some stunning displays from the bowlers here and there but they have been too rare for the opposition to take them seriously. A good bowling display is often followed by a string of cluless ones.

That was evident in the tour of South Africa and New Zealand. The bowlers have struggled for consistency in both the innings. This was very clear in New Zealand where the Kiwis managed 503 and 105 in the first Test and 192 and 680/8 in the second.

To win Test matches, the bowlers must fire in both the innings. India need bowlers to be aggressive. It is okay if they do not have express pace to rattle the batsman. Most of the days, accuracy and precision fetches good rewards. When a bowler is dead accurate with his line and length, the batsman often feels uncomfortable and that could be an opening. The bowlers also need to attack the batsmen instead of bowling in the defensive line. Patience is the key in Test cricket and is always rewarded.

It is not that the Indian bowlers aren’t capable. They have shown the glimpses of their ability in the past and right now, they need to focus on their consistency. In tailor made conditions for swing bowling in England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami seem to be sure starters.

The third slot can be filled up by Ishant Sharma after a good performance in New Zealand. There might be a possibilty of a fourth depending on the pitch but it would be better to go in with a spinner considering India’s strength.

At the end of the day, it is the bowlers who win you Test matches by taking the 20 wickets and a good bowling performance is always the key to a decent team performance.

#2 Fielding

There is absolutely no doubt about the importance of close in fielding in Test cricket. A bowler tries his best to create chances and induce a batsman's edge. The slip fielders especially have to be very alert throughout the day's play gulping in any chance that the bowler creates.

As Rahul Dravid, unarguably one of the best slip fielders the game has ever seen once said in an interview, "It is a position where you've got to concentrate the whole day, where you are always in the game. At times you will get nothing the whole day, but suddenly in the 110th or 112th over of the match, a sharp chance comes along. You've got to be ready and alert to be able to react. So it is about the concentration, about doing it, day in, day out, over after over, ball after ball."

Apart from slip catching, other close in fielding positions like short leg, silly point and gully is also important. All of these require an equal amount of skill and concentration.

In India's recent tour in New Zealand, the ground fielding was appalling often and several edges were either dropped or fell short. McCullum, who blasted a double hundred and a triple hundred in successive matches was also a beneficiary of India's shoddy display on the field.

Great Test batsmen are distinguished from the others by temperament and they tend to offer very less chances. Therefore, it is of great importance that the fielders make the best use of these small lapses in concentration of the batsmen. Getting the likes of rock solid batsmen like Alaistair Cook, Ian Bell or Joe Root will certainly require a committed fielding unit apart from incisive bowling.

#3 Captaincy

Test cricket differs from limited over cricket in this respect. A good captain is often a big reason behind a great bowling performance. Attacking captains have generally been more successful than the defensive ones.

A captain has several responsibilities like setting up the field, bowling changes, etc. A good Test captain should always be a good thinker. Dhoni, despite being a great player, has been found wanting in Tests, especially outside Asia. His tactic of playing the waiting game has been severely criticized by several experts.

As Ian Chappell, a former Australian captain, once wrote: “Dhoni is a brilliant captain in the shorter versions of the game, and a master at timing his run to the finishing line as a middle-order batsman. However, as a Test captain he's too reactive and has a tendency to let the game meander along, like an absent-minded professor strolling in the park. His conservatism allows the better players among opposition batsmen too much freedom and too many easy runs. Consequently, big partnerships, like the match-saving one by Brendon McCullum and BJ Watling, build too often.”

Even though the Indian bowlers often get the stick for their poor performances, we often tend to forget that they are asked to bowl negatively. This was evident in Durban when Dhoni did not look to attack South Africa even when they were just 10 runs ahead with 4 wickets in hand. Instead he allowed the game to drift, and drift, and further drift when sudden counter attack took the bowling to the cleaners.

And this is only one of the several instances that have acted as India’s knell overseas in recent times. For a better performance from the bowlers, Dhoni must be more active and inspiring on the field by setting attacking fields and catching the opposition by their throat.