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After the defeat in Wellington, from a winning position, MS Dhoni, the captain of Indian cricket team, claimed that India has shown signs of improvement in last 2 series.

"We played after a long break outside the subcontinent. If you compare those two series [0-8] with the last few we have played, there is plenty of improvement. That's what it's all about. You want to keep improving to a stage where you start converting those good situations into better starts and start capitalising on it. So far you may say we haven't capitalised on the kind of starts when it came to our batting department, but still there is plenty of improvement. I will take that and move on to the next series," said MS Dhoni.

Have we really improved or there are only few positives that are blanketing plenty of negatives.

I'm someone who speaks more about process rather than thinking about just results - MS Dhoni

Let us see what has really improved.

Batting - This is one area which every one related to indian cricket was really concerned about when there were talks going on about the retirements of Sachin Rendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman. But the batting department has done well. New players like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, and Cheteshwar Pujara has carried the batting with distinction in their young cricketing careers. Judging from the times the fab 4 played last couple of foreign tours, the present Indian batting lineup has done better despite inexperience. Batting of India has surely shown the signs of improvement with many exciting new batsmen fighting for the permanent slot in the squad.

Bowling - This has always been the weakest area of strength for cricket team of India. But it has reached new lows. Most bowlers in Indian team look unfit and incapable of picking up 20 wickets necessary to win test matches. Zaheer Khan, although look slim and trim, is bowling no more quicker than the speed of 130 kph. Ishant always struggles to find the right length, and Umesh Yadav is not captain's favorite, judging by the first eleven that have been selected to represent Indian team on the field by MS Dhoni.

Fielding - Definitely got better with arrival of young players. Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane needs special mention. While Jadeja is quick as a gazelle and quick on to the ball, you have to envy Rahane for the accuracy of his throws to the stumps. Both have turned quite a few cricket matches for India by displaying brilliant fielding acts.

Captaincy - Really confused about this department. While MS Dhoni seems to have won everything which a captain would dream for, including number 1 test match ICC ranking status, the performance overseas have been quite disappointing. There seems to be no strategy being adopted on the field of play. Opposition teams have been able free themselves from clutches of India on regular basis, especially overseas. Also there seems to be favoritism when it comes to selecting the best 11 players for the match. Haven't heard as many excuses before from a captain of game of cricket.

We almost lost the Jo'burg test- had it not been for a brilliant run out by Rahane, it was a goner. The 2nd Test in NZ, we should have won from the position we were in. Its another thing BigMac batted brilliantly, still should have atleast gone for the kill. The only positive I saw was Rahanes batting and Kohli. Ishant probably had an off day when he took those 6 wickets. Dhoni's captaincy as always, was unimaginative and strange! He does not pick the best XI for starters. Jaddu ( nickname of Ravindra Jadeja) in tests as a frontline spinner? Doesnt make sense, even though he has done well in India. Then there was the curious case of Stuart Binny in the ODIs- who was picked as an all rounder and did not bat and did not bowl. Dhoni is being too stubborn with his words and acts. Preserve him for ODIs- because we need him in that format. Get a new captain for tests and T20s.
I guess Dhoni will clutch on to any straws at this point in time. He knows he doesn't warrant a place in the test side unless he's captain so he's saying all the right things in front of the media. Personally, I think he's a superb player BUT fails big time as a captain in test cricket. If you see some of the other captains in world cricket like Michael Clarke and Brendon McCullum, all of them are aggressive and thoughtful captains. Plus, they all are blessed with good bowling line ups. India unfortunately doesn't have many good bowlers. The only way we can win overseas in tests is to have a potent bowling attack. As it stands now, India would do well to remain in the top 5.