3 changes India need to make to avoid series loss

• England level the ODI series 1-1 after beating India in Cardiff
• India collapsed from 178/4 to 233 as Joe Root hit an unbeaten 99
• KL Rahul is expected to return to the XI for the third ODI at Lord's

India were beaten by England in the second ODI at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, with the hosts levelling the series at 1-1. Being put into bat first,

the visitors were bundled out for 233, slipping away from a dominant position of 178 for 4. They failed to defend the total, with Joe Root scoring an unbeaten 99 to take his team home with four wickets in hand.

India suffered a significant collapse in the middle order, where they lost their last six wickets for just 55 runs. Batters from number 6 to number 9 were all dismissed for single-digit scores, unable to move the scoreboard much. With the third ODI set to take place at Lord's on July 19, we look at changes the team could make to pick up a win and seal the series.

Here are 3 changes India should consider for the 3rd ODI vs ENG

3. Arshdeep Singh for Gurnoor Brar

Gurnoor Brar has established himself as one of the most exciting pace-bowling talents coming out of India, becoming a regular feature across the ODI teams. The tall seamer from Punjab has excelled with his hit-the-deck abilities and has picked up four wickets in the two games. In both games, however, Brar has gone at an economy of over six runs per over and has given a few runs away.

Introducing Arshdeep Singh to the playing XI in place of Brar would be a wise move, with Arshdeep's left-arm angle offering a different point to the attack with the ball. The duties of the hit-the-deck bowler can be fulfilled by Prasidh Krishna, and on a Lord's wicket which has favoured bowling teams, Arshdeep's swing and seam could provide benficial. 

2. Kuldeep Yadav for Washington Sundar

Another area where India was significantly impacted has been their bowling plans, which were thrown into the wind after Washington Sundar's significant injury. The off-spinning all-rounder was seen with a strapping on his thigh and did not take the field in India's bowling innings. Shubman Gill had to rely on the part-time bowling of Shivam Dube as their fifth bowler due to the injury.

To avoid similar situations in the future, it would be wise for India to include an extra spinner in their squad in the form of Kuldeep Yadav. While the flexibility with the bat might be eliminated, Kuldeep adds a reliable fifth bowling option and can function as a genuine strike bowler. 

1. KL Rahul for Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan's torrid tour of England continued once more as he scored just one run off eight balls in his knock, once more falling prey to the short ball, being caught and bowled by Sam Curran. Handed a promotion, he was unable to make much use of the chance given due to KL Rahul's illness.

Rahul would be expected to slot back into the team come the game at Lord's. The right-handed wicketkeeper batter has been India's rescue man in situations of collapses, rescuing the team by stabilising the innings from number 5 or number 6. India clearly missed Rahul's stability in their batting innings, and his return would add much-needed balance to the batting lineup.