5 Things India should do to become a world dominating Test team

India's long tour of England is finally coming to an end with only one Test remaining in the series. Though the series is done and dusted, there is a lot to play in the fifth Test and India would like to end the tour on a high note with a scoreline of 3-2.

The current scoreline shows 3-1, but the Indian team have fought tooth and nail in this series and could have been the opposite of it with some luck.

The stern test for Kohli and Co. began with the tour of South Africa and will now finish in England. In both the tours, India has been competitive and have been equally dominant.

The current Indian team is fearless and shown glimpses of a true champion team like the Windies of the 80s or the dominant Aussie of the 90s.

This team has all the ingredients to become a world beater who could win anywhere and defeat any opposition on a given day, but there are few chinks in the armor.

Let us enlighten the flaws of this current team and see where they can improve to become world champion Test team.

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#5 Chasing totals in the fourth innings

India have lost all the close matches while chasing fourth innings total

One of the most concern areas for the Indian team is the ability to chase small totals in the fourth innings of the Test.

Right from Virat Kohli's first stint as captain at Adelaide till the fourth Test against England, India has not able to conquer demons of chasing targets in the last innings of the match.

It is important that the number one team Test team overcome this flaw to become a world beater.

It is difficult to bat on the fourth or fifth day of the pitch, but except for Kohli, no Indian batsmen have shown intent to stay at the wicket and have thrown wickets on crucial moments.

India could have won the Test series in South Africa and England if they had chased scores in some of the Tests.

Kohli along with the team management will have to work on this area and win the matches while chasing targets if they have to come out as a champion team.

#4 Removing tailenders quickly

Sam Curran has been the nemesis for team India in the whole series.

India's history with the opposition tailenders is not a new story and has been one of the most concerned areas for almost two-three decades.

On numerous occasions, the Indian team has slipped out the chance of winning a Test match even after dismissing the top order early in the innings.

One of the primary reasons why India lost the series is the inability to dismiss tailenders quickly.

Even though the series scoreline suggests 3-1 but the Indian team has been equally dominating. England won the first and fourth Test due to vital contributions from the lower batting order.

Sam Curran who batted at No. 8 or 9 position is a third highest scorer in the series which reflects India's weakness to remove the batting tail. India needs to sort out this long term issue as they cannot afford to lose the close Test matches in overseas conditions.

#3 Openers conundrum

Prithvi Shaw could be the key to India's opening batting woes

The Indian opening position for Tests has been a major concern since the exit of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir from the Test team. Only Murali Vijay has been able to provide some stability at the top order.

The remaining opening slot has been a musical chair between Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, and none of them seemed fit for the position.

India has also dropped Vijay who was their go-to opening batsman especially in overseas condition, but he failed to replicate the same success this time around. With Vijay's exit from the team, India would need to find a new opening pair.

Prithvi Shaw has been selected in the Test squad, and it is high time the team invested in more youngsters and make them ready for the future tours.

Shaw has performed consistently, and it may not be too long for a special talent like him to cement as an opening batsman.

The Indian team will be looking to try out in form players and stabilize the opening slot which has been a big headache for a long time.

#2 Team selection

The team selection has proved to be a major factor in the series loss.

Kohli's captaincy has come under a lot of scrutinies especially after the series loss against the English team.

One of the main reasons in India's the downfall is the constant changes in the playing XI which has hampered not only the team's chance of winning the match but also affected the confidence level of some of the players.

It was his 39th Test as a captain where there was no change in the playing XI in the successive Tests.

The other factor for the loss is the team selection gone entirely wrong according to the conditions.

In the Lords Test where India needed an extra seamer, they went with wrist spinner while in the last Test, an extra spinner could have more than useful they went with four-seamers.

The Indian has failed to read the conditions properly, and as a result, the selection of the team went wrong.

In the future overseas tours, team management and the captain would have to be careful with their team selection and asses the conditions well.

#1 All-rounder slot

Hardik has blown hot and cold in the whole English tour.

After the loss in the fourth Test, the series has been sealed by the home team, and the Indian team had to face a lot of criticism in spite of playing so well in the entire series.

Hardik Pandya has been one of the biggest disappointments on this tour as he was expected to play a major role both with the bat and ball.

Hardik did perform exceptionally well in the third Test, but apart from that, he has not fired at all.

He has not bowled enough quota of overs which shows that captain does not have enough confidence while with the bat he as thrown away his wicket in crucial moments.

With Hardik's inclusion, it has hampered the team's combination as they have to sacrifice the position of a pure batsman or a quality bowler who could have played in place of him.

Ravindra Jadeja, who has been warming the bench for four Tests, should have played ahead of Hardik especially in the first and last Test where the ball was turning more.

India's long persistence with Hardik as an all-rounder has been a headache and would have to use it according to the conditions.

The slot for the all-rounder must be flexible to accommodate any player with the conditions keeping in mind.