England vs India 2018: 4 possible India changes for the series decider

After a convincing victory in the 1st ODI at Trent Bridge, India lost the chance to clinch the series at Lord's, losing by a healthy margin of 86 runs. In a must-win game for the home team, the England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to bat first on an unusually dry Lord's pitch.

England had a good start in the powerplay, reaching 69 runs for no loss in 10 overs. However, the damage was inflicted by the Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, dismissing both the openers in quick succession. Struggling at 86-2, Joe Root and Morgan led England's recovery with a 103-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.

Root tackled Kuldeep very well at first and attacked him towards the end of his spell. A resilient century from him, and a rapid 31-ball 50* from Willey propelled England to 322-7.

A flunked chase

With a daunting task of chasing 323, India made a solid start until they lost Rohit, Dhawan and Rahul cheaply in a span of 3 overs. With the chase master, Virat Kohli, at the crease, Suresh Raina played a supportive role to rebuild the Indian innings. Due to an unusually hot English summer, the pitch at Lord's looked sticky and provided more assistance for the spinners.

Moeen Ali picked up the important wicket of Virat, which lead to England's victory

Unfortunately, Virat didn't last long in the chase, and was out LBW against his RCB team-mate Moeen Ali. After the loss of Virat, the Indian team lost their way in the chase as Plunkett rattled the middle order with 4 wickets in the match.

Joe Root was presented with Man of the Match award for his match-winning century against Kuldeep and Co. Though India lost the match, Kohli will be looking to seal the series in the decider, continuing his unbeaten run as captain in ODI series.

For India to clinch the series, they will be looking upon for these possible changes in the ODI XI in the 3rd match:

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#4 Dinesh Karthik in for Suresh Raina

Dinesh Karthik can be an ideal replacement for Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina looked rusty in the 2nd ODI against England, struggling against both the spinners and pace bowlers. In his innings of 46 off 63 balls, he was dropped twice by England team before getting knocked over by Rashid.

Dinesh Karthik would be an ideal replacement for Raina. He was in imperious form in the IPL, racking up 498 runs at an average of 49.8 in 16 innings. Karthik will offer solidity in middle order and will relish his role as a finisher at the end of the innings along with Dhoni and Pandya.

With Karthik in team as a wicket-keeper, Virat can even derive a 6th bowler from Dhoni, who is indeed a decent medium-pace bowler which will be suitable for the English conditions.

#3 Shardul Thakur in for Siddarth Kaul

England Lions v India A- Shardul Thakur looked in good touch in the Tri-series

Siddarth Kaul has looked off-colour since his debut in Trent Bridge in the 1st ODI. Since the Indian pacers didn't have any assistance from the pitch, Kaul struggled to pick up his 1st wicket in ODIs, leaking runs in the death overs. In 2 matches, he seemed to be a bit expensive, giving 121 runs at an economy rate of 6.72 in 18 overs.

In the series decider, Shardul Thakur can be considered as a replacement for Kaul. Thakur has been in good form playing for India A team in the Tri-series against England Lions and Windies A.

Thakur picked up 8 wickets in 4 matches and was instrumental in India A's triumph in the Tri-series.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar in for Umesh Yadav

Bhuvi was instrumental in India's series victory against England in 2014

Umesh Yadav was included as a back-up bowler in the Indian squad considering his performances in the IPL. Since Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been rested due to a back strain, Umesh was part of the Indian side in both matches.

Though Umesh picked up 3 wickets in 2 innings, he gave up 133 runs in 20 overs which was one of the reasons for England's victory in the 2nd match.

Bhuvi will be an automatic selection into the playing XI if he is fit enough to withstand a 50-over match. In recent matches, the bowling allrounder has also been scoring vital runs in death overs.

#1 Axar Patel in for Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal has looked off form in the ongoing England tour

The combination of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has been the talk of the town since their combo in white-ball cricket. However, Chahal has struggled to pick up wickets in the ongoing tour of England unlike his partner Kuldeep.

In 5 matches (3 T20Is, 2 ODIs), Chahal has picked up only 3 wickets, which is below par when compared to his star performance in South Africa tour. Hence, it would be a good idea to rest Chahal for a match and consider the left-arm spinner Axar Patel.

Though some may think it as a bizarre idea, England has been vulnerable in the past to left-arm spinners (Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh). Axar Patel has also been in good form, picking up a 4-wicket haul for India A in the Tri-series.