3 changes India can make in the 3rd ODI vs Bangladesh

It's not often that India lose an ODI against Bangladesh, let alone two ODIs consecutively to a team without Tamim Iqbal and Taskin Ahmed.

Both were close games that could've gone either way. The visitors shoddily got out for 186 in Dhaka. The bowlers pulled it back by reducing Bangladesh to 136-9 but a last-wicket partnership between Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mustafizur Rahman saved it.

Mehidy was again the architect in the second match, rescuing his team from 69-6 to a superb score of 271-7 in the first innings. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel offset a poor start with a good partnership before an injured Rohit Sharma scored a valiant unbeaten 51 (28) with an injured thumb to take the match to the last ball. But a lack of support for the skipper saw India fall short by five runs and lose the three-match series with a game to spare.

As always, a dead rubber provides the opportunity to test players and different team combinations. In India's case, it is also a chance to experiment with divergent playing styles, which has been a major topic of debate throughout the past year.

Below are three players who can be brought into the playing XI for the same:

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Rahul Tripathi could replace Indian captain Rohit Sharma

Rohit's thumb injury has ruled him out of the final ODI, creating a space at the top of the order. It presents a brilliant opportunity for Rahul Tripathi to make his debut, especially in the inscrutable absence of Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill.

After a strong couple of seasons in the IPL (397 and 413 runs, respectively), Tripathi has been at the fringes of the team. He carried that form to the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 524 runs from eight matches at an average of 87.33 and a strike rate of 94.24, scoring three hundreds and two fifties in the process.

There's been a lot of talk about trying aggressive top-order batters in ODIs. Tripathi is one of the few experienced ones India currently have at their disposal. He's brilliant against pace and can make the best use of the powerplay restrictions. More importantly, he doesn't waste too many deliveries when he doesn't score.

If successful here, not only can he be a good backup opener for the 2023 ODI World Cup but also a replacement for Rohit when he chooses to retire.

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Kuldeep Yadav for Deepak Chahar

Kuldeep Yadav received a late call-up to the squad for the final ODI after fast-bowlers Kuldeep Sen and Deepak Chahar were ruled out due to injuries.

The left-arm wrist spinner should be a straight replacement for Chahar. This will mean that India will play with three pacers and three spinners. Kuldeep has been brilliant since his comeback from injury but hasn't had enough chances for India.

Despite picking up six wickets in the three ODIs against South Africa, he didn't play the entire tour of New Zealand and was dropped for the series. A match-winning performance here might help him start turning his fortune ahead of the ODI World Cup on home soil next year.

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Ishan Kishan for Shikhar Dhawan

Although Shikhar Dhawan is a part of India's leadership group, he has been pretty poor as a batter of late. He has just one half-century in the last 10 ODIs and in the last two matches against Bangladesh, his scores read - seven (17) and eight (10).

Starting slow and catching up later has worked quite well for the 37-year-old in his career. However, 50-over cricket is changing and aggressively moving towards the T20 way of batting; and most teams will likely bring this mindset to the World Cup.

The only way Dhawan can survive is by consistently scoring heaps of runs, which he hasn't done lately. This seems like the right time to give a young left-hander in Ishan Kishan a chance to put his hand up. He has shown many glimpses of his ODI talent, the best one being the recent 84-ball 93 against South Africa in Ranchi.

Kishan is not too quick a starter either, but he is young enough to be molded according to India's needs before the 2023 ODI World Cup. If given the backing, he could be a true asset. Tripathi and Kishan forming the opening pair for India, even in a dead rubber, would show that the team is taking the series defeat seriously.

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