England vs India, Third Test, 2018: 3 things that came good for India

India's performance in the Lord's Test was nothing short of poor. If Lord's Test was to be taken as a yardstick for the rest of the series, India could have only gone from bad to worse. But come Day 3 of the Nottingham Test, India are right on top of England. They finally seem to have a measure of the English bowlers in a do-or-die battle. India hold all the aces at the moment and from now on, it is their game to lose.

Something different had to happen for an Indian comeback in this series. India have ticked all the boxes as far as this Test is concerned but we will have a look at the three most important factors that came good for India unlike the Lord's Ttest, where they were completely outplayed.

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#3 Openers laying a platform

Dhawan and Rahul put on a fifty runs stand against England in Nottingham

This was one of the major problems for India, particularly in overseas Tests, which hampered them from putting up a good total on the board. The more time the openers stay in the middle, the more runs they will manage which will enable them to lay a solid platform for the rest of the batters to follow.

In Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, India found a good opening combination which not only played out the new ball without much fuss but also scored runs at a rapid rate. Dhawan's 35, Rahul's 23 and their valuable 60 runs partnership brought back the confidence in the Indian change room that English bowling attack could be tackled by sustained determination.

Kohli and Rahane, the two senior members of the batting lineup, piled on the runs from then on. Both were extremely unlucky to miss out on superb hundreds but by the time they departed, the job was certainly done for India. For the first time in this series, India managed a wicketless session with the bat and by the end of Day 1, India had posted a good score of 300+ on the board.

One could see that the confidence was well and truly restored. If there 159 runs partnership was special, the 60 runs opening stand of Dhawan and Rahul was impressive as well. This factor was one of the most important turnarounds for India from the Lord's Test, where the opening partnership did not even open its account.

#2 Slip Catching

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were fantastic as a slip fielder and keeper respectively

To win Test matches, not only do the batsmen and bowlers need to click, but the slip catching should be spot on as well. In the previous two Tests, India were dropping slip catches on a regular basis. In the third Test, when Pujara put down a regulation chance and allowed Cook to get away, it seemed the demons of slip catching had started haunting India once more.

But at the end of the day, that drop proved to be the only aberration in what was a fantastic display of slip catching from India. Pant was highly impressive with his 5 catches behind the stumps which in itself, is a record for an Indian wicketkeeper on debut. Rahul was the pick of the fielders as he took some splendid takes in the slip region to firmly put India on top of the game.

The catch of Root was the most impressive and important one, as Root could have stayed at one end and anchored the innings. With the wickets of Root and Bairstow, England had fallen apart and most probably, there is no second chance for them in this Test.

The previous Test was a forgettable one for India which includes their slip catching. But it has been one of the impressive factors for India in the third Test and if they can continue their good work in the second innings, it is certainly going to win the game for India.

#1 Hardik Pandya's revelation as a bowler

Hardik Pandya leads the Indian team to the change room after his 5-star performance

One of the biggest positives for India in this Test is the arrival of Hardik Pandya, the bowler. He was branded as a player who could neither bat properly nor bowl well. But in the third Test against England, he has shown the world that he is capable of producing those top spells that can win games for India. Bumrah was the talk of the town before the Test began but Pandya picked up his first ever 5-fer in his Test career and thereby winning the hearts of one and all.

It was truly one of the best spells that one could have witnessed and every ball that he bowled seemed like giving India the breakthrough. He well and truly deserved this five-wicket haul and the entire Nottingham crowd stood up and applauded as Pandya led the Indian team back to the change room after England were bowled out for 161.

Pandya did not try to bowl fast nor did he try something extravagant. He kept it simple and kept probing that outside the off-stump line with gentle outswing and the pitch took care of the rest. With this fantastic spell, he has announced to the cricketing world that he is here to stay for a long time.

Pandya will surely cherish this Test as the breakthrough moment in his career. His revelation as a bowler is one of the biggest positives for India not only for this Test but for the future of Indian cricket as well.