ENGLAND’S shocking collapse in the third Test against India has exposed an alarming deficit between its red-ball and white-ball batting performances.

Former captain Michael Vaughan was quick to make the comparison on Sunday night after England were skittled for 161 at Trent Bridge. All ten wickets came within a session, and after the side was 0-54.

He pointed out England’s average opening innings Test total is now less than its average ODI total when batting first.

In the past 12 months, England has averaged 308.36 when batting first in ODIs*.

Meanwhile, England’s Test average in its opening innings is now just 284.07.

The average is on the slide as England increasingly struggle with batting collapses.

England went almost 80 years without losing all 10 wickets in a single session, but has done so twice in 2018, and three times in 22 months.

The first time this year was when it was humiliated for just 58 runs against New Zealand in Auckland in March. The second time came on Sunday night at the hands of an Indian attack thriving under grey-skies.

Vice-captain Jos Buttler acknowledged the issue on Sunday night when asked if the team understood why it keeps collapsing.

“Obviously not if it keeps happening,” Buttler said.

He added: “Rightly, people say it’s been happening too often - which it has ... Guys have got to improve.”

Buttler explained that while there had been some “very honest conversations” in the dressing-room, there was no “magic answer” that would bolster England’s frail Test top-order.

The Test team is currently ranked fifth in the ICC world rankings, while its one-day side is number one.

Its batsmen have an individual first innings average of 36.69 in the past 12 months, compared to a red-ball opening innings average of 29.02.

England look set to lose the third Test of a five-match series against India, meaning it will take a narrow 2-1 lead to Hampshire on August 30.

Should England suffer an unlikely series loss, it will be just the second time in Test history a side has won a series from 2-0 down.

The only other time was when a Don Bradman-inspired Australia beat England in 1936/37.