Former Australia Test captain Ricky Ponting says under-fire English skipper Alastair Cook will not improve as a player for the rest of his career.

England slumped to a seventh loss in nine Tests with a 95-run defeat to India at Lord's on Tuesday (AEST), with India's Ishant Sharma taking seven wickets to dismantle the host's batting line-up.

Amid calls for his dismissal as captain, Cook has scored just 129 runs in his last nine innings with the bat.

Ponting says most players find it hard to perform after their first 100 Tests.

"He'll try and find ways to sort of hang on and maintain a certain level," he said.

"I don't think he's going to get any better as a player.

"There's no doubt that the struggles of his team will be having a big impact on the way that he's playing."

Cook made just 10 in the first innings at Lord's, before he looked to consolidate with a studious 22 in the second innings as England chased 319.

He shared in a 58-run second-wicket partnership with Gary Ballance in a bid to stabilise the innings, but after Ballance (27) and Ian Bell (1) fell in quick succession, Cook failed to right England's teetering innings, falling just two overs after Bell's dismissal.

Cook feathered a catch to MS Dhoni off paceman Sharma's bowling, with Sharma eventually claiming career-best figures of 7 for 74.

Alastair Cook's recent troubles (stats taken from first Test of Ashes 5-0 whitewash against Australia to present) Tests: 9

Tests: 9 Runs: 361

Runs: 361 Highest score: 72

Highest score: 72 Average: 21.23

Average: 21.23 Fifties: 3

Fifties: 3 Centuries: 0

The England skipper said immediately after the match he had no intention of stepping down from the captaincy.

But his terrible form since England's 5-0 Ashes whitewash at the hands of Australia has seen a number of commentators demanding he be sacked as captain.

"He needs to ask himself, '(am I) making a difference as a captain to this England side?' The stats tell you that he's not," former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.

"Would we miss Alastair if he was not captain at the Ageas Bowl? If Michael Clarke was suddenly not captain of Australia I think they would miss him.

"If Alastair Cook was not captain of England at the Ageas Bowl would we look up and say 'we're missing the tactical genius of Alastair Cook?' We wouldn't."