4 areas where India still need to improve in the current series against England

As it has often been said and heard, "Test cricket is the pinnacle of cricket". The format, no doubt, requires an altogether different level of skill-set and endurance.

Amongst all the hullabaloo of T20 cricket taking over and of Test cricket falling by the wayside, the face-off between the two cricket giants in the UK summers is as mouth-watering as it gets.

The current India-England series has seen all sorts of momentum shifts from one side to another. Just like a typical Bollywood movie, the series has unfolded into a completely new drama, session by session, day by day.

As it stands, the English have their noses ahead with a slender lead of 2-1 but India would certainly be riding high on the Nottingham victory. With rejuvenated energy in the 3rd Test, Team India has brought the series back to life.

Although Trent Bridge was a near-complete performance, India would still be looking to make amends in a few areas to make the scoreline 3-2 in their favour and create history.

Let us have a look at the grey areas India need to be wary of if they are to win the Test series in England after a gap of 11 years:

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#4 The opening partnership

Dhawan and Rahul need to do better than the 50s and 60s to provide India with an early advantage.

Well, it is a tough place to be an opener in England. The conditions are quite testing for the batsmen, more so for the openers, having to face the new Dukes swinging and seaming ferociously.

Indians have had problems of their own at the top of the order. They started out with Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in the first test, dropping Dhawan in the second test and moving KL Rahul up the order, only to bring Dhawan back in the third test at the cost of Vijay.

Truth be told, time is running out quickly for Vijay. With age not on his side and youngsters coming up the ranks, making a comeback looks very difficult for him. Dhawan and Rahul, however, provided good opening partnerships in both innings in Nottingham.

The twin 60 stands were very helpful in building the lead as well as negating the initial swing. However, Kohli would be hoping for 3 digits stand from the openers in Southampton which has been long overdue.

A good opening stand will definitely put India in the driver's seat and help in bringing the scoreline to back to level pegging.

#3 Slip catching

The slip catching needs to tighten up more and the team needs to learn from KL Rahul about slip catching.

If there is an Achilles' heel in current Indian Test team, it would definitely be their slip catching. Ironically, a team full of world-class fielders has found it difficult to hold onto the ball in the slips.

The current series has seen both the teams erring behind the wickets. While Kohli got a reprieve on 93 in the second innings, Jos Butler was dropped early in his innings and went on to make a century.

The slip catching may well have been one of the reasons India lost the first match. Rashid was dropped in the slips before Sam Curran went berserk and turned the game on its head.

The shining star in the slips has been KL Rahul, taking as many as 6 catches in the 3rd test alone. He has been able to keep a clean sheet. Rest of the team would definitely be taking lessons from Rahul when it comes to holding on to the catches.

#2 Big runs from the middle-order

The senior batsmen of the team need to take more responsibility.

The Indian batting, in the whole series till now, has revolved around Virat Kohli. The stylish right-handed batsman single-handedly brought India to the cusp of victory in the first game. He showed his prowess again in the third game with match-defining knocks of 93 and 103.

However, Kohli has not been able to find able support from the rest of the middle-order. Although Pujara and Rahane played vital hands in the third test, the skipper would be expecting some big runs from the senior batsmen who are known for batting long.

Hardik Pandya would also be keen to improve his batting numbers. Pant is just one test old but his resolve at the crease was there for everyone to see. The middle-order needs to fire for India as Kohli may not be able to put big runs every time he walks to the crease.

#1 The no-ball syndrome

Bowlers shouldn't provide any let-offs to players like Cook or Root in crunch situations.

Ever since Jasprit Bumrah bowled a match-defining no-ball in the 2017 champions trophy final, every Indian cricket fan across the world knows the cost of it.

Of all the people, Bumrah would be the most cautious having endured tough times in England a year ago. However, time and again, the man from Gujarat has been found erring on his front foot landing.

In the third test itself, Bumrah was earlier denied a 5 wicket haul when he got Adil Rashid caught off a no-ball. The no-ball did not cost the match this time around as India was already far ahead in the game and the result was a foregone conclusion. In future games, Kohli's team can hardly afford any such slip-ups.

Bumrah will have to get his no-ball issue sorted. Also, Ishant Sharma too would look to avoid any no-balls as he too has had a history of stepping over the line.