4 things need India need to do differently in Trent Bridge
India travels to Trent Bridge for the third Test, having lost the first two games. If Kohli's men fail to bring their A-game to Nottingham, any chance to win the series will vanish before their eyes. The Lord's Test lasted only 170 overs - not even two full days. After such an embarrassing capitulation, it is evident that changes have to be made. So what can India do differently to change their fortunes?
#4 Open with Cheteshwar Pujara
In the five overseas Tests India has played in 2018, their highest opening stand has been 50 runs. In the five matches, India's average first wicket partnership has been 17.8. In both England and South Africa, the openers have been a major problem for the Men in Blue
As his golden pair at Lord's exhibited, Murali Vijay is completely out of touch. The Tamil Nadu opener looks a shadow of the batsman who was extremely successful in India's last overseas cycle. Shikar Dhawan has failed on way too many overseas tours for the team management to be able to trust him anymore. Even KL Rahul has not done much to impress of late but he still deserves more chances.
With all the openers struggling, the best option for India is to open with Cheteshwar Pujara. In any case, the number three is virtually opening because of the poor performances the openers are giving. There is no denying that Pujara's own form has been nothing significant either but as things stand the Saurashtra batsman is likely to see the new ball out than either of India's openers. Whether Pujara gets runs or not, one thing guaranteed with him is that he will play out a lot of balls like his 87 ball outing at Lords vindicated.
This move will open a place in the middle order and that place must be taken up by Karun Nair. The Karnatakan has been in England for a while as captain of the 'A' team, where he scored three half-centuries in three first-class games indicating some good form. Also, the 26-year-old has fond memories of playing the English having scored a triple century at Chepauk in 2016.