A SWOT analysis of India's Test batting line-up for the home season

Weaknesses

The Indian batsmen still play in T20 mode, even in Tests

With such a strong batting line-up, you would expect them to pile on huge scores time and again. But the fact is that this batting line-up has failed many times in recent times.

Temperament:

This has been something amiss in this stellar line-up. While Rahane and Vijay, to a large extent, have looked ominous, the rest of the line-up has had issues with controlling their natural instincts in Tests.

Someone like Rohit Sharma has forever played in ODI mode even in the longest format of the game. Kohli too has had his issues of switching to Test mode.

Spinners:

There was a time the world considered bowling spin to India a waste. The Indian batsmen had so much power in their wrists coupled with strong technique that they could counter any spinner with ease. Gone is that time, as Dean Elgar proved when South Africa toured India last year. The famed top order could not deal with a part-time left-arm spinner. They need to go back to basics against the spinners and take a page out of Mohammad Azharuddin's book of batting against spin.

Bounce:

Pace and bounce have forever troubled Indian batting line-up's and this one is no different. While Kohli, Vijay, Rahane and Rohit possess the right technique for short balls, none of them have been good enough against the short stuff recently.

Wagner dismissing Kohli in Nagpur last week was evidence that India think they can take on the short ball in Tests, but are yet to master the art.

Opportunities

India's next assignments are at home and this offers them an ideally opportunity to get into the groove. In New Zealand and England, they have strong opponents with skilled bowlers. It will be the right time for many of the middle order batsmen to get into Test mode.

An advantage for them is that none of the spinners in the touring squad look very threatening This will offer the likes of Kohli, Pujara and Rahane to understand the mistakes they are making against spin and to correct them.

It is also the ideal time to try out a new player with back to back home series' coming up. Some India A stars like Manish Pandey and Karun Nair have been knocking on the selector's door for a long time. With Rohit Sharma looking out of sorts, it will present an ideal opportunity for one of these youngsters to blend into the team in home conditions before tougher tours abroad.

Threats

Pace bowlers like Boult, Wagner, Anderson and Broad are exceptional in generating reverse swing. While the spinners have been India's nemesis in recent times at home, the role of reverse swing on sub-continental pitches cannot be highlighted enough.

Dale Steyn exposed India's weakness against reverse swing in Nagpur in 2010 and the England and Kiwi bowlers would love to do the same. They have the right bowlers to exploit the conditions and given the Indian batting line-up's tendency to attack, the threat of reverse swing is ever-present.

Moeen Ali for England and Mitchell Santner for New Zealand are two hugely underestimated spin bowlers. Santner showed he has the right deliveries for these pitches during the World T20 this year and Ali had bamboozled India's batsmen on green tops in England.

Verdict

Since India's next few Tests are at home, the batting line-up may not be tested to a point where their weaknesses are exposed. However, taking a cue from Nagpur, this line-up has more strengths than weaknesses. That India managed to pile up good scores without huge contributions from Rahane and Kohli, their mainstay batsmen in Tests, is testimony to the fact that the batting line-up is going in the right direction.