England vs India, 3rd Test: 3 gambles that may win India the third test match

The Indian team is in a desperate need of a miracle after losing both the test matches in England. India need to win the third test starting from Saturday in Trent Bridge to keep alive their chances of winning the series. But the manner in which the lost both the tests makes you wonder how they can stage a comeback.

The batsmen have been in woeful form. Apart from Virat Kohli, no other batsman has looked at ease at the crease. Add to that, the tactical blunders made by the team management in the previous test have only made the situation worse. Playing Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Umesh Yadav in the seaming conditions at Lords raised a few eyebrows.

Sportskeeda takes a look at some gambles that may help India win the third test.

#1 Open the innings with Rishabh Pant

It has been no secret that India has missed the services of Virender Sehwag dearly at the top over the past few years. The disdain with which he punished even the good balls left the bowlers high and dry. India has struggled to find an ideal replacement in place of Sehwag. The likes of Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul have been tried but they have not been up to the mark.

It is high time that India try Rishabh Pant as an opener at the top. Pant has been successful while opening the innings for the India U-19 team. His aggressive approach can catch the English bowlers off guard and could throw them off their lengths. He can also provide a solid platform for the fragile Indian middle order to capitalize on. It’s a gamble worth taking.

#2 Promote Ashwin to number five

It may surprise everyone but Ravi Ashwin was the leading run scorer for India in both the innings of the previous test match at Lords. It was only because of his cameos that India could cross the 100 run mark in the second test match. Ashwin was made to bat at number 8 in both the innings of the Lord's test, even below Hardik Pandya. He has a pretty decent record with the bat for an off-spinner.

The 31-year-old averages more than 30 with the bat and has 4 test hundreds to his name. His ability to keep the scoreboard ticking could come in handy if he is promoted up the order. With the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya struggling for runs, it may not be a bad idea if Ashwin comes ahead of them.

#3 Play six specialist batsmen

There is no doubting the fact India’s Achilles heel overseas over the past few years has been the crumbling of its famed batting line up. While the bowlers have more often than not been able to pick up the 20 wickets in a test match, the batsmen have failed to get going. Even in the first test, the bowlers had done their job but the batsmen failed to chase down even 194 runs in the fourth innings.

All batsmen apart from Virat Kohli, have looked at sixes and sevens against the swing bowling of English bowlers. Add to that, Hardik Pandya has hardly looked the all-rounder that the team management wished for. He has struggled to make an impact with either the bat or the ball. Hence, the Indian team management should look to play another specialist batsman in the form of Karun Nair to bolster their batting line up.