Watching the proceedings at Edgbaston where India got edged out in a familiar fashion, it calls for some changes in the batting line up. I would start right at the top with the one down position. Karthik was brilliant in the test series and showed promise in the first one dayer where he played low down; but, he is not apt for the crucial No.3 slot. We need somebody with experience at that position. As Dravid has taken on the responsibility of steadying and stabilizing the lower order, the only other man fit for that position would be Tendulkar. He has the experience and grit to carry out the job that Ian Bell has been doing for England in this series. Tendulkar needs to drop to No.3 position in the best interest of the team.

Taking Tendulkar out of the opening slot would enable Uthappa to walk in seamlessly. Uthappa is an exciting player, entertaining to watch and a great prospect for the future. He has the tenacity to murder bowlers in a Gilchrist fashion. He will surely up the ante by providing some quick starts which has been lacking so far from India.

Another change that I would recommend is going back to the four bowler formula. We don’t have a dependable batting line anymore. We need more batsmen to compensate for our shortcomings. Powar has played well but his nonathletic fielding, spilling catches and no-contact batting should be taken into consideration and dropped to make way for the debutant Rohit Sharma. India can manage with the guile of Tendulkar and the accuracy of Yuvraj for the fifth bowler’s slot. Having just four bowlers will put more responsibility on other regular bowlers and that’s how it should be.