The team management problems that are hurting the Indian team overseas

Going into England, the Indian team was in an interesting situation- they were never a strong force overseas but the English were somewhat battered after their dismal performances in the previous two series. The edge that India had was the way they turned the tables in South Africa - after convincingly losing two Tests and the series with it, they remarkably turned the odds around to peg one back.

The team had it in them, they refused to back down even when everything seemed to be lost. However, grit alone can't win you series in foreign soils, as the support you get is critical to carefully channelize the grit into triumphs. The Indian management should face the cannon barrel as their tactics have let down the fans, and the players themselves, especially away from home.

The Delhi-born batsman was scheduled to play six matches for Surrey, including three four-day matches in the County Championship — The captain and the coach have to make some calls outside the field.

Below are some of the questionable tactics and idiosyncrasies which have contributed to the vulnerability of a quality side in stranger tides. Many of these reasons are intertwined, so it would not be a Herculean task to ameliorate the situation focussing on even a single issue in these would have positive repercussions in the team's morale in under a year's time.

1. Perform quick or get axed

Enter captio — KL Rahul: Is the management doing him justice?

For the first time in his captaincy career, Virat Kohli was finally found to field the same playing XI in two consecutive matches. Maybe he didn't want to tinker around the winning jinx, or maybe he has finally started to appreciate the importance of giving the players enough matches to get them set. Providing adequate rest to the pace bowlers is well justified.

However, "You fail to perform in a match, get ready for a change in your batting position or warm the bench"- has been the ordeal for most of the players. Yes, talents like KL Rahul are supreme to bench-warmers. However, adapting to requirements of a specialist batting position needs time. Kohli seems to forget this, maybe because of his own exceptional flexibility.

The captain's lack of faith reflects tremendously in a player's performance, the plight of the Australian team a few years ago is ample testimony for this. Lack of clarity about one's own roles also interferes with the player's psyche and morale on the field. If the situation goes uncorrected, even rifts and spats, like the ugly one that surfaced in the 2017 Champions Trophy, may potentially get more frequent.