World Cup 2019: Two changes India can make to their playing XI against England 

The Cricket World Cup 2019 is approaching its business end as the race for the last four spots gets even more intense. With Australia already assured of a semi-final spot, six teams are still in contention for the last three spots that are up for the grabs. The Virat-Kohli led side, which is the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far, comfortably sit at the second position in the points table with one foot already in the semis.

India will now face England at Edgbaston on June 30 before finishing their games in the league stage by facing Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the last two matches. The Men in Blue need just another win to seal their semi-final berth. The game against England promises to be a mouth-watering clash with both the teams are eyeing a win, more so England with their qualification on the line.

Despite a clinical effort against West Indies at Manchester, India will want to plug in few loopholes in the batting department to ensure no failure at such a stage in the tournament. Here, we take a look at two changes India can make in their playing XI for the high-octane clash against England.

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#1 Rishabh Pant in for Vijay Shankar

Shankar has failed to grab his chances

Roped in as a reliable all-rounder who could resolve India's middle-order conundrum, Vijay Shankar has failed to impress at any occasion with the bat. He got his first opportunity to bat at No. 4 in the game against Afghanistan, but the Tamil Nadu-lad didn't make full use of the occasion and fell to a false shot.

Even in the next encounter aginst West Indies, he faced a relatively good delivery from Kemar Roach and couldn't capitalise on the opportunity.

With a rather weak middle-order which got exposed in two consecutive games, India might feel the need to rope in Rishabh Pant in place of Shankar for the No. 4 spot. Pant, who has the ability to play according to the situation, can be the man for Kohli and co. in the matches to come.

Known as the X-factor in this Indian team, Pant can play the middle-overs and can even go berserk in the latter stages of the game. He gives his captain an assurance of chasing down big scores without allowing pressure of dot balls mounting on the lower order.

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#2 Dinesh Karthik in for Kedar Jadhav

Karthik has usually done well for India in the ICC events

Kedar Jadhav hasn't been able to put up any performance worth appreciating in this tournament so far. Despite limited opportunities, Kedar has not served the job asked of him as a reliable middle-order batsman. Except for his slow yet effective innings against Afghanistan, Jadhav has failed to get going from the first ball in the last few overs.

At times, he's been in situations that certainly don't suit his style of play. As a result, Dinesh Karthik might be a better option to be tried in place of struggling Jadhav.

Karthik, who comes in with a plethora of experience of finishing off the games for India in the recent past, has been in handy form in this format of the game. His ability to strike from the first ball makes him a viable option at No. 6 in this batting order. Someone who is an equally good player of both pace and spin, India might be tempted to go in with him for the game against England.

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