4 things England need to do to continue their winning momentum

Before the much-awaited England versus India Test series began, everyone expected both the teams to show some fighting spirit, before one team eventually goes down. If the first test fully lived up to the expectations of the fans, the second one was all about England battering India and taking a 2-0 lead in the five-test series. India just did not turn up for the second test as they were outplayed in all the three departments of the game.

England looks a far better unit and a well-settled one compared to their counterparts. But having said that, they too have some fine-tuning to be made before they take the field on Saturday for the third test in Nottingham.

Let us take a look at four things that Joe Root's England need to address in order to maintain their winning record in the Test series.

England would be well served if Root and Buttler get going in unison

#4 Root's Conversion Rate And Buttler's Form

Joe Root is one of the greats of the modern era. He has been the best batsman for England for a long time, and he clearly seems to be enjoying that tag. With greatness comes an additional responsibility and Root needs to be aware of the fact that he must spend a lot of time out in the middle particularly after getting to his half-century.

Very rare to see days where Root gets dismissed for less than 50 and it is still rarer to witness a Joe Root hundred, going by the fact that he has 41 test fifties and just 13 centuries to his name.

No doubt, he is one of the greats of the modern era but it is all the more important for England to revolve around Joe Root's batting. He should be able to score daddy hundreds which will put England right on top of the game.

He finds new ways to get out after reaching his 50 (for instance, first innings in Edgbaston) but if he can convert those fifties into daddy hundreds, it will be a treat to watch for every cricket fan.

Jos Buttler's form has taken a considerable dip in recent times in Test Cricket. He did show some sparks of good form in the Test series against Pakistan four months back but it seems he is more determined in cementing his place in the eleven, as he last played for England when they toured India in 2016.

One of the great qualities of Buttler is his ability to bat with the tail at times of crisis and England is certainly missing this fantastic talent of him. Root is consistent enough, Bairstow is in good nick and if Buttler can get going in the lower middle order, England is sure to inflict heavy damage on India.

England would rely on Cook and Jennings to lay the foundation for a strong total

#3 Form Of Both The Openers

"Well begun is half done." A good start by the openers is imperative to lay a solid foundation for the rest of the batters to follow. Try telling that to England, as they have been facing this headache since the retirement of Andrew Strauss.

Compton, Root, Carberry, Robson, Trott, Lyth, Hales, Duckett, Hameed, Stoneman and Jennings. This is not an England playing eleven but the opening partners of Cook since the retirement of Strauss. England has chopped and changed the opening combination with Cook being the only constant over the years. This goes to show the troubles that England have faced, in putting up good opening partnerships and it is high time they get to a right combination and get going at the top.

Cook has been good, to say the least, but even he is a pale shadow of his former self. Determination, ability to play long innings and strong technique are the attributes that we associate with Cook but his confidence has taken a beating in this series after getting out to two beauties from Ashwin in as many innings.

Cook is one of the legends of the game and it would be a delight for cricket fans if he gets going at the top. Jennings needs to stick around for more time along with Cook and put on a good partnership so that the opening woes of England are put to rest, at least as of now.

Slip catching is one of the important areas that England needs to improve

#2 Slip Catching

"Catches win Matches," goes a saying. This saying assumes far more significance when it is against a quality side like India. England bowlers have been let down by their slip fielders on many of the occasions in this series but luckily for them, the Indian batsmen have not capitalized on many of those opportunities to hurt England.

No doubt England has been outstanding in this series but with many catches being dropped in the slip cordon, they need to realize that it affects the morale of a bowler which is quite tough to regain.

A classic example is the first test in Edgbaston. The catches of Pandya and Vijay were put down, but it didn't cost England much. Virat Kohli was dropped on 2-3 occasions when he had scored less than 50 in the first innings and he made them pay big time by scoring a fantastic 149 which brought India back into the game although the eventual result was in favour of England (On another day, it might have cost England the match).

Had Kohli been caught in any one of those three occasions, India would have been no match to England even in the first test and the series would have begun on a pitiable note for the visitors. It just goes to show the importance of slip catching, particularly in Test cricket.

Coming to the second test, it was the same old story for England, as far as slip catching is concerned. The catches of Kohli and Pandya were once again put down by the slip fielders (Buttler was the culprit.) but the only difference in this test was, both of them did not make their lives count and edged one to Buttler in the next delivery.

Ashwin was dropped by Buttler in the slips during the first innings and he helped India get to the three-figure mark. If England can sort out their slip catching woes, they will be on course to yet another convincing win against the visitors.

Stokes and Woakes should be the two all-rounders for England in the test series

#1 Playing Both Woakes And Stokes In The Eleven

If Ben Stokes was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball in the first Test, his replacement Woakes was fantastic with both bat and ball in the second test as England trounced India by an innings and 159 runs. Now, Stokes is back for the third test after he was cleared from charges in the Bristol incident and his availability is a big boost to the already confident English side.

With just 14 members in their squad, England is in a far better position to pick the best eleven compared to India. It is almost certain that England will leave out Moeen Ali and James Porter from the third test. With Woakes performing in his lifeline game, it is certain that he will feature in the eleven. If that is the case, one more player needs to sit out for this game and now the question: Would it be Stokes or Rashid?

English pitches are not known for rank turners and the fact that Rashid was not used even for one over in the second test proves the fact that he can be dispensed with for this test and it would be far better for England if both Woakes and Stokes get to play the third test.

England Head Coach Trevor Bayliss has stated that Stokes is not a certainty in the eleven but every English cricket fan would love to have Stokes back in the eleven as it would strengthen their lineup to a great extent. The presence of Adil Rashid in the match without making use of him doesn't seem to be a good idea and England must play both Woakes and Stokes in the playing eleven. If all the aforementioned points click for England, India is going to have a still harder job of cracking a way to defeat them in their backyard.