England vs India 2018, 3rd Test: 3 mistakes India cannot afford to make

The Indian team has been enjoying a lot more relaxation time than was originally planned. Not because of any sudden change in the schedule but owing to some docile capitulation. The second Test lasted 170.3 overs which is effectively less than 2 days of play and India were at the receiving end on the most part.

Ashwin top scoring with 29 and 31 in both the innings at Lord’s speaks volumes about the helpless state India have put themselves in. Things do not augur well for the Indian camp if they persist with the tactics which have dug their grave.

Some bizarre groundless stratagems adopted by the Kohli and Shastri duo has backfired in mammoth proportions and no one will be more disappointed than Kohli himself. Kohli is a champion superstar and champions don’t make the same mistakes again.

Quite frankly India don’t have the luxury of erring even once. Here are the mistakes which India can’t afford to make in the 3rd test.

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#1 The two spinners theory

Kuldeep's inclusion in the Lord's test surprised one and all

As much as everyone wanted Kohli to nurture young Kuldeep in the test arena, Lord’s was the last place people expected the chinaman to roll his arms over. It was a gamble which might have heaped praises on Kohli had Kuldeep struck gold. But alas! It was not to be.

The consistent full-tosses were just fish and chips for the English batters. Ashwin impressed all and sundry in the first test and little did we know that Kohli would ask for his services as late as the 39th over at Lord’s. Ashwin should be utilized prudently and the more Kohli invests faith in his premier offie the better he will make the ball talk.

#2 Karthik donning the gloves

Karthik's glove-work has been shoddy

Dinesh Karthik’s time in red ball cricket is a stark contrast to the rich form he was carrying in the shorter formats. To add insult to injury, his glove-work behind the stumps has also been modest at best. He looks uncertain about the spacing between him and the slip fielders and naturally this has translated to dropped chances.

He hasn’t been able to find any answers against the moving ball. He aggregates a paltry 21 runs in the 4 innings that he has played. The Tamil Nadu lad who was highly vocal behind the stumps at the start of the series has slowly lost his voice after the horrors that he has encountered.

#3 ‘Defend only’ mentality

Indian batsmen have been too reserved to play shots

Indians, right from the first test, have been on the backfoot and have resorted to defence. More defence. And even more defence. They are so fixated that they let innocuous loose balls pass by unharmed. In these conditions that one ‘unplayable’ Anderson or Broad delivery is forever around the corner. So just leaving balls and defending isn’t going to get the scoreboard ticking and unfortunately, in cricket, victory is dependent on runs.

After sweating it out for hours, when batsmen finally lose their wicket to a dream delivery, it is so disheartening to see that not many runs are tagged against their names. Players can take a leaf out of Ashwin’s book who doesn’t think twice before treating the loose balls with due punishment and has been aptly rewarded. Controlled aggression has always proven to be a winner.