Team India embarks on a limited overs tour of Australia after some optimism. The optimism is mainly due to that emphatic test series win over South Africa. However, the optimism might just end there after India’s ODI form is taken into account for 2015. For a team led by the ever-charismatic MS Dhoni, 2015 was a horrible year without second thoughts. Despite a fabulous run in the ICC World Cup, the men in blue limped to ODI series losses against Bangladesh and South Africa.
Following the loss to South Africa, the selectors took some austere measures for the upcoming ODI series against world champions Australia in their own backyard. A nonperformer like Suresh Raina, who had a fantastic 2015 World Cup, was axed. Instead, the think tank has gone in for youth, full of freshness and raw appeal. Showing faith in Manish Pandey and Gurkeerat Mann, two consistent performers in the domestic circuit just suggests that. Brainder Sran, the left arm pacer from Punjab has been chosen to install the X factor in the team.
Easier said than done, the ODI series against Australia will be a definite hurdle for MS Dhoni’s side. Who knows, the ODI series against the Kangaroos might well be Dhoni’s last? It will be essential for India to do a few things Down Under.
Below, are the five things India needs to do in the ODI series against Australia in order to succeed.
1. Death bowling needs to improve:
Atrocious death bowling and team India often go hand in hand. The Indian bowlers have numerously made a mess of several games in the past with malignant bowling in the death overs. In the first and last ODIs against South Africa in the recent series, the Indian bowlers conceded 109 and 144 respectively in the last 10 overs. These despondent numbers paint a sorry tale of the Indian bowling and highlight their primary woes. Against the likes of Maxwell, Faulkner, and Watson, the task is even tougher. India though, are blessed to have Shami back in the ODI team after his knee surgery. The fate of India in the ODI series depends massively upon how Shami and Umesh bowl in the death overs.
2. Select an allrounder based on the conditions:
It is just a no brainer to assert that playing two spinners in Australia might not be the most sensible move. The theory of choosing Ravindra Jadeja at number 7 might be ideal in Sydney and Canberra, where the pitches are on the slower side and assist spinners. But opting for Jadeja despite the presence of a fast bowling all rounder like Rishi Dhawan in Perth and Brisbane, will be nothing more than a blunder. Jadeja might be in the form of his life, but his venom will be negated on pitches not too responsive to spin. Instead, the talented Rishi Dhawan deserves a chance, who has done well in Australia in the past for India A. Plus, Jadeja’s bowling average of 57.27 and batting average of 14.81 in Australia, doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence either!
3. Define roles of the batsmen clearly:
One unusual thing witnessed during the series losses to Bangladesh and South Africa was that there was no uniformity in the Indian batting order. Barring the opening combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, the middle order seemed to be in a muddle. Against Bangladesh, Dhoni promoted himself up at 4 in the third ODI and got a half century. Then suddenly, in the first ODI against South Africa at Kanpur, Dhoni was back to his finisher’s role where he clearly struggled. In the third ODI at Rajkot, when India needed some solidity in the middle, Dhoni promoted himself up the order and that meant Rahane struggled lower down the order, with Raina already in a horrible phase. Not to ignore, the batting positions of Kohli and Rahane kept on exchanging for a few games. Unless and until batsmen are not defined with their precise roles, there will be confusion in the team and the unit will struggle.
The management should firstly make the batting order of the team pretty clear. Rahane should be the number four candidate while newcomer Manish Pandey can be at 5. Or if Dhoni is not confident enough of his finishing prowess, he can bat at 5 and let Pandey take over as the finisher. The last option though will be a complete gamble to say the least!
4. Curb the instincts to bowl short:
Up till the semi-final of the World Cup last year, India’s bowling was simply fantastic. All of a sudden, the positivity was taken over by the desperation to constantly bowl short to the Australians. The short stuff of the Indian bowlers was just bread and butter for the Kangaroos, who relished the prospect. This time around, Shami, Yadav, and Sharma need to be circumspect enough while bowling to any Australian batsman, let alone Steve Smith! The short stuff bowled at 140 km/hr by Ishant Sharma will be dispatched by the likes of Maxwell and Faulkner. More than anything else, Shami and Yadav need to pitch it up fuller in the initial overs and make that limited movement count.
5. Consolidate in the middle overs:
India head into this series with an implausible gamble as only 6 recognized batsmen are a part of the squad. Gurkeerat Mann might still not be recognized as a complete batsman considering the fact that he has batted very few times high up the order. Thereby, the middle overs become the most crucial juncture for India. It is here that the Indians off late have struggled. In the third ODI against South Africa, the men in blue became over defensive and that led to their downfall. The onus will be on Kohli and Rahane to build India’s advantage in the middle overs so that there is the room for MS Dhoni to finish in his trademark pattern. Australia is likely to employ Maxwell and Faulkner in the middle overs and there is a serious opportunity for the Indian batsmen to cash in on that.