Australia vs India: 5 Observations from the ODI series

India on Wednesday, December 2, salvaged some pride by winning the final ODI of the series Down Under and also of the year. After two almost identical losses in the first two matches in Sydney that saw the series slipping away, Virat Kohli’s men came up with a gritty show in the concluding game at the Manuka Oval, Canberra, to avoid a humiliating 0-3 loss. The visitors bagged the consolation win owing to a brilliant batting effort from the lower middle order and a much improved bowling performance from a revised attack.

Yet, the 13-run win that India registered in Canberra could not hide the fact that they lost the same series that they had won in 2018-19. India have now won only one of their last six ODIs played in New Zealand and Australia and it is not good news for Kohli & Co. The management should not feel convinced that the first two losses were exceptions but do some soul searching on why Team India has struggled on two back-to-back competitive overseas tours, held months apart.

For an analyst’s pen, there could be several reasons why India lost this series. But some of those factors could be far more serious than those like ‘toss played an important role’. If India harbour hopes of turning things around for the series of World Cups — in T20I and 50-over format– lined up over the next few years, some urgent measures need to be taken to plug the loopholes.

1. Absence of MS Dhoni, Rohit have put Kohli under test

First and foremost, this series showed that Kohli didn’t have two strong shoulders to fall back on and they are of Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni. These two men have over the years extended solid support to the Indian skipper in various capacities.

But with Dhoni retiring and Rohit not available because of injury, it all came down to Kohli to lead from the front. It is not that the man was out of form in the series or that there was a lack of talent in the side, but somehow India did not look too cohesive a unit.

India can’t find overnight replacements for the likes of Dhoni and Rohit (when the latter is absent because of injuries) but they at least can nurture young players by giving them more consecutive opportunities to play international games.