Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was left bemused with India’s selection for the third ODI against England. The visitors lost the final ODI and as a result, conceded the series to England after leading 1-0 after the first game.

Meanwhile, former India captain Sourav Ganguly opined that KL Rahul should be given a run of games at number four in a bid to cement a solid player in the position where India have lacked a stable batsman.

"Eyes closed, it’s KL Rahul at 4. Your top 4 have to be your best players and you’ve got to persist with them. Go and speak to KL Rahul and say, ‘I’ll give you 15 games. Just go and play.'

India’s problems at number four have persisted for a prolonged period as in the last three years, the Men in Blue have failed to chase down a single score of over 150 in ODIs without at least one of their top three batsmen scoring a half-century.

As a result, Ganguly believes that the over-dependence on the top order is a problem and that India need a proper four and the only two people who are potential candidates for that position, according to him, is Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul.

"In the past three years, India does not have a successful run-chase of over 150 in ODIs if at least one of the top 3 did not score a half century, and Ganguly suggested that India's overreliance on the top 3 was a problem. "It's a big issue, something that India will have to sort out. You have to have quality, England has quality.

“Dhoni, Raina, Karthik — very good at 5, 6, 7. India need to find a number 4. I think two of your best batsmen are not being looked after properly. I’m not saying it’s deliberate.

“Maybe it’s a mistake, maybe when you look at things from the other side you look at it differently. But it’s my opinion, from this side of the ground, (either) of those two (KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane) have to play at 4 because it’s too much pressure for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.”

“In South Africa (the team) won because Kohli got 3 hundreds in 6 games. Currently, if Kohli doesn’t get a hundred, you’ll find it difficult to win matches."

India will take on England for the first match of the five-match Test series on the 1^st of August.