With the ODI series in the pocket, India now have plenty of room to experiment with their team combinations.
Should Lokesh Rahul be included in place of the struggling Manish Pandey for the 4th ODI?
India have beaten Australia convincingly to pocket the match five-match series 3-0, which gives the hosts plenty of room to experiment with their squad combinations.
Having played an unchanged team in the three victories, and with nothing to lose now, a change in the squad is due.
With the 2019 World Cup in mind, every chop and change, every experiment with team combinations, will be vital for Team India.
So who does India drop from the Playing XI, especially from a team that has clinically outdone the Aussies?
Looking at the scorecard of the three matches played in the series, it’s Manish Pandey who is a likely candidate for a place on the bench in the next match. He has not been in the best of form -- he scored 3 and a duck in the first two ODIs, and has only a 32-ball 36, that too on a placid track in Indore, to show for in the series thus far.
India could give Lokesh Rahul a go in the two matches. He didn’t score much in the ODI series Sri Lanka against last month, but with nothing to lose, giving him a chance could prove to be a move that pays off.
And if India want to tilt the balance of the squad in favour of bowlers, Mohammed Shami will be ideal replacement for Kedat Jadhav who has failed to fire in the opportunities presented to him.
Shami, a good exponent of reverse swing, will add to the sting in India’s bowling line-up.
Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been brilliant at the death and Shami's inclusion could add further depth in the late overs.
So should India go with the same team or should KL get a look in? What do you think?
Select your Indian team for 4th ODI to be played in Bengaluru on Thursday, by clicking on the players' names in the box below.
