India has plenty to do in the remaining two training sessions
What is India's state of affairs before the third Test? Just what does one make of its performance in the two-day practice match here at the County Ground?
Defeats in tour games are rare. Matches played over three days seldom accommodate results; there is also often a misplaced generosity to these games — it isn't so much a competitive pursuit as a communal activity. Both sides benefit. The touring side gets to log game time. The host gets what's known in show business as the rub.
Some countries, and some teams within these countries, treat practice games seriously, as a means of hurting the touring party. But such tripwires are strung infrequently across a tourist's path.
Northamptonshire certainly didn't do it. The side was keen to do well and get noticed, but not so keen that it risked its first-team players when a second-division county championship (and promotion) was to be gained.
India was trapped to some extent by the format, which condensed the game into a one-inning shootout. Coach Duncan Fletcher didn't seem happy about it — India had a lot more to lose than Northamptonshire, and besides, it couldn't control the practice game as it wanted to get the most out of it. But one would expect a professional cricket team, certainly one that's ranked No.1, to handle such things. 

Embarrassing defeat
While the defeat (on first-innings) was embarrassing what will have bothered India more was the match's unprofitability. There wasn't a resolution to any of the worries that had consumed the team after the first two Tests. The match-fitness of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan; the form of M.S. Dhoni; the ability of Suresh Raina against the short ball; the problem of the spinner: there were no clear answers from the game.
The state of general uncertainty played a part in the surprising inclusion of Rahul Dravid in the limited-overs side, and his subsequent announcement that he would retire from the shorter forms of international cricket after the England series. A side in trouble sends out panic signals; it's another matter that any signals they send are seen as panic.
Of all India's unresolved matters, Zaheer's was the thorniest before the announcement of his withdrawal. Unfortunate as it is, at least there's closure.
Sehwag appears a lesser risk to take. He has shown no signs of discomfort when batting, but he has batted for no more than half an hour at one go. Although the shoulder doesn't bear as much load as the hamstring, there are still risks involved. Dragging the bat into the crease when running is just one of them, for the bat can stick in the ground and jar.
Still, batsmen are better placed than bowlers to operate despite injury (should such an emergency occur). And Sehwag offers so much — just an hour of him can prove defining.

Real concern
Dhoni's lack of runs is a real concern. England, as Graeme Swann said before the first Test, was looking to target the Indian captain. He has had a wretched time of it. He rarely gives anything away, his body language is always of a man in control, but he hasn't been untouched by his failures.
Dhoni got a difficult delivery here; he wasn't allowed to find any rhythm. He has been doing remedial work in the nets, and perhaps the break from captaincy and keeping against Northamptonshire will have allowed him just the mental relaxation needed.
Raina looked to have sorted out his back-foot game against the West Indies. But he was curiously indecisive at Trent Bridge, caught between jumpy defence and imprecisely controlled attack. The problem continued here against Northamptonshire.
For a batsman there's nothing as poisonous as the dark ferment of doubt. Like his captain, Raina will have to find a solution quickly.
Amit Mishra batted spiritedly, but his bowling didn't argue an unbeatable case. The familiar debate — his wicket-taking potential versus Pragyan Ojha's control — will begin all over again. Dhoni appears to prefer Ojha's tightness, but the left-arm spinner will have only just arrived in the country.
Although the spinner chosen hasn't a tough act to follow — Harbhajan Singh has been underwhelming — the role's import hasn't reduced.
There are other issues to address as well. The out-cricket, never one of India's strengths, has been particularly bad. Small things like the slips, especially second and third, standing too close together need fixing — plenty to do in the two training sessions before the third Test in Birmingham.