5 things India should do to win Test series against England
India has shown invincible performances at home, but the Virat Kohli led side needs to win overseas to justify their ICC rankings in the true sense. India's surge to reign their supremacy over World cricket begins with the five-match Test series against England followed by a four-match Test series in Australia later this year.
The men in Blue have shown signs of courageous performances against the Aussies in their last tour down under but they need to settle some unfinished business in England especially after getting decimated in their last two tours.
With a long series in prospect, India would keep in mind the mistakes committed in the previous tours as they look to dominate a wounded England side in their own backyard. It's never easy to hunt a lion in his own den, but this Indian side is led by a determined skipper who knows how to plan a trap even if it is against the best in the world.
There are certain areas of concern for the visitors which they need to set right before they take the field for the first Test on August 1. We take a look at some of the things that India needs to do to win the Test series against England:
#5. Managing the workload of seamers
India were dealt with a major blow even before the start of the Test series as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who aggravated a lower back problem in the final ODI against England was deemed unavailable for the first three Tests against England.
While Bumrah, who was ruled out of the limited-overs leg was recalled for the Test series but will be available only after the first Test match. This leaves India in a sort of bother with onus now on the trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav with Shardul Thakur as the backup to help their side coast to victory even in adverse situations.
In a long and gruelling 5-match Test series, the team management will be wary of the possible breakdown of the bowlers, especially the pacers. Since two of their premier fast bowlers from the recent tour to South Africa are already sidelined due to injury for the first Test match, India would hope that others are 100% fit to play the series opener.
In England, pacers enjoy most of the overs, so it will be a challenge for them to bowl at their peak and try not to get caught by any sort of injuries.