Ever since they landed in England for their much-anticipated tour, the Indian cricket team knew the kind of expectations they carried as they chased the elusive dream of proving their mettle in hostile conditions. They did well to win the T20I series 2-1 before narrowly missing out in the ODIs.

But, their biggest test was arguably the five-match Test series where Virat Kohli and his team were looking to right the wrongs of their forgettable 2014 tour. The first Test at Edgbaston saw India putting their best foot forward with a spirited performance on the field. Even though they ended up losing the first Test by a narrow margin of 31 runs, the Indian fans were still happy as the much-improved showing promised a good contest in the remaining four games.

However, contrary to popular perception, dreams of a billion fans back home were shattered to pieces following the turn of events in the second Test at Lord's. The promise of a good contest was sadly transformed into a brutal and shambolic hammering as India lost the match by an innings and 159 runs.

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The Indian cricket team was so poor that it beggared belief. If Kohli's team selection left everyone scratching their head, the unbearable misery of Indian batsmen against master tormentor James Anderson was a sight every fan back home dreaded for. There was no surprise to see the fans, pundits and even former cricketers drawing general consensus to slam the lack of fight displayed by Team India.

If this was the case of Indian supporters, you'd imagine the sheer delight of England and their fans. In fact, former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott minced no words while absolutely shredding Kohli and his men to pieces in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

"India have come to England complacently and arrogantly thinking they can bat the same way and everything will be OK on the day. Any time you do not plan and work at your cricket, the game will kick you up the backside, and India deserve the thrashing they are getting," Boycott wrote.

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"So far, the Indian players have let themselves and their supporters down. The batting has been so naive and irresponsible, it has bordered on stupidity. Wafting drives at tempting outswingers is thoughtless," Boycott added further in his column.

While Boycott's comments might enrage the Indian fans, the Englishman does make a crucial point in his assessment of Kohli's men. The fact that Kohli scored 54 per cent of India's total in the first innings and then held fort for his side in the second, shows how dependent the visitors are on their captain.

No other batsman has looked convincing or challenging enough to negate England's fierce seam attack. The openers have become a major worry, while the middle-order has proved unreliable to aid India. Having lost two successive games, Kohli and Indian selectors must address all these questions if they intend to bounce back in the series, or else their world no. 1 tag (in Tests) would stand for nothing.