England vs India 2018: 4 big expectations that the Indian team has failed to fulfil

Great things were expected of the Indian team at the beginning of the Test series. With a captain, who continues to reign supreme with his bat and lead by example at the helm, the team looked in good spirits, especially after winning the 3rd Test against South Africa earlier this year.

Unfortunately, two games into the series and India's tour of England is fast approaching the resounding horrors of 2011 and 2014. While a lack of application by the batsmen in the 4th innings cost the first Test, a horrendous show in all departments saw the Indians account a humiliating defeat in the second Test.

Already 0-2 down in the series and its chips fast disintegrating, the Indian team certainly has its back to the walls. However, there lie a few grey areas that continue to haunt the team on each overseas tour. Here are the 4 big expectations that have not been met by the Indians on this tour so far and will be looking to set them right, come the third game.

---

#4 Slip catching

Slip catching on overseas tours continues to trouble India

The slip catching horrors continue to trouble team India. While the form seems to be decent in the subcontinent, the slip fielders tend to get butter-fingered when they travel overseas. The first game of the Test series saw India grass three catching opportunities in the slip cordon, with Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan letting the team down.

However, to be fair to the Indian team, the English haven't fared any better either in the slips. Many experienced players, including slip specialist Alastair Cook, have been found guilty of giving lives to the Indian batsmen by not holding to their chances.

While it could be understood that extra bounce on the English pitches can be making the life tough for slip fielders, the Indian team would be looking to tie their shoelaces and field better as there would be no room for excuses in the upcoming games.

#3 Getting past the lower order

Sam Curran proved to be a thorn in the flesh for India in the first Test

The Indian bowlers were expected to make the early inroads count by restricting the opposition to paltry scores. Sadly, that was not the case to be.

While 2011 and 2014 saw Stuart Broad and James Anderson frustrate India with their gritty batting, the latest series has witnessed young Sam Curran and Chris Woakes deliver deathly blows to the Indians.

Sam Curran's gutsy knocks in both the innings of the first Test proved to play major roles in deciding the fate of the game. In fact, it was his timely half-century in the second innings that swung the game in England's favour. The southpaw also made a handy 40 in England's only innings in the second Test.

Bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes, who filled in the place of Ben Stokes, succeeded in taking the game away from India. Woakes, who forged a formidable partnership with Jonny Bairstow, registered his maiden Test ton as he blew India's chances out of the equation.

#2 Making life easier for Virat Kohli the batsman

Virat Kohli remains to be the sole rock of India's batting line up

Virat Kohli has established himself as India's premier batsman across all formats of the game. On the overseas tours as well, the Indian skipper, who is renowned to be one of the modern-day batting greats, has done the bulk of the scoring for the team without much support from the other batsmen.

However, with the likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik showing blistering displays in domestic cricket, much was expected of them. Unfortunately, the first two Tests saw the same saga unfold in another sorry state of affairs for the Indian batsmen. No Indian batsman, barring Kohli, has managed to register a half-century yet as India once again continues to rely heavily on its captain to sail the team to safe waters.

#1 Openers making runs

The opening batsmen have been made to look like a couple of club cricketers

The opening conundrum remains as the chief damper of India's hopes on overseas tours. Over the past decade, India has tried different opening duos in the hope of getting better results at the top of the order. However, no opening pair has managed to last for more than 20 overs when playing for India in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.

While things were, miraculously, expected to see a better light in the ongoing series, the first two Tests have proved otherwise. Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, and KL Rahul have all been withered away by England's new ball bowlers. In fact, Murali Vijay, who can now be called as a seasoned campaigner in the Test format, accounted for a pair in the second match. It'll be interesting to see India's tactics in the third Test to tackle this major problem.