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, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-hails-virat-kohli-for-completing-12000-odi-runs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a>’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 &amp; 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 &#8212; in T20I and 50-over format&#8211; 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

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-173720" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli India and Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-173720" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

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 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-tells-me-that-if-we-take-the-match-to-the-end-then-a-lot-of-runs-can-be-scored-ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>. 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.

2. None of the current Indian batters can bowl

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-468983" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jasprit-Bumrah-1.jpg" alt="Jasprit Bumrah" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468983" class="wp-caption-text">Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Secondly, the one-sided bowling. India’s attack looked like those old-time 3-2 bowling attacks led by three pacers and two spinners. This is by no means a recipe for wins on a consistent basis. This problem is not difficult even for a layman to detect. India simply need all-rounders to make their bowling look more flexible.

With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitterati-react-to-wasim-jaffers-funny-dig-at-sanjay-manjrekar-after-hardik-pandya-and-ravindra-jadejas-brilliance-against-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hardik Pandya</a> not bowling for months till the second match, the bowling attack turned even more one-dimensional. But one also meets a bigger question here. Why, despite playing KL Rahul as keeper, India are failing to find a sixth bowling option? The reason is simple. There are far too many one-task players in the current national side.

In the past, we saw Sourav Ganguly make Rahul Dravid don the keeping gloves so that he could accommodate a seventh batsman into the side. There were four bowlers left to complete the line-up but Ganguly had the advantage of playing a number of batsmen who could bowl. Be it Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh or himself, the then skipper never had to restrict himself to only five options even if they went for runs. With Kohli, that is not the case.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-397514" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mayank-Agarwal.jpg" alt="Mayank Agarwal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397514" class="wp-caption-text">Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Thirdly, even India’s top order is not in the best of shape. This is a long-drawn problem now. As former Australian cricketer Tom Moody rightly said after the game in Canberra, while India’s No.6 and No.7 batsmen look steady in the form of Pandya and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-should-be-in-the-glass-ajay-jadeja-trolls-ravindra-jadeja-over-ice-pack-on-shoulder-after-canberra-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a> (the duo won it for them in the final match), the top five still needs to get into a coherent structure.

He recalled the infamous Ambati Rayudu case ahead of the ICC World Cup in England last year. After having played the man in the middle order for months, India eventually decided to get rid of him while choosing the squad for the big event. That was not a sound decision as it eventually turned out to be.

If we revisit the tournament, India ended up playing three wicket-keeper-batsmen in an all-important semi-final, a decision far from being the wisest. In this series against Australia, it was Pandya’s brilliant batting that helped India to go past 300 on two occasions. But that can’t hide the less-than-impressive show of some other top-order batsmen.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-467799" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467799" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Fourth has been the spinners’s woes. It&#8217;s been a long time since the euphoria over the Kul-Cha pair has got over and no new pair has come up to replace them. Jadeja is valued more as a big-hitter down the order. The just concluded ODI series saw India’s spinners going for a lot of runs and they could bag only three wickets together which is not a good sign for the sub-continental team.

There is no doubt that India are a pace-dominated bowling attack now, unlike what it has been historically. But to see the slow bowlers perishing in lieu is not what the fans would like to see.

With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/kuldeep-yadav-disappoints-in-ipl-2020-is-it-the-end-of-road-for-him-in-colours/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kuldeep Yadav</a> fast waning, India need to get new faces on board to spearhead the spin department. Or else, they are in for a big trouble in Tests.

5. Why not KL Rahul as a permanent opener in limited overs?

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-397777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-2.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397777" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-will-be-nice-if-david-warner-gets-injured-for-a-long-time-kl-rahul/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KL Rahul</a> is one batsman who India need to utilize the most. The batsman just had a terrific IPL and in the ODIs, he needed to be in the opening slot. Rahul has seen his place in the ODI batting line-up changing far too often in recent times and that’s not something that suits the team.

Rahul is known for opening and averages nearly 54 in 13 innings that he has played in the No.1 batting position. He has also done well at No.5 of late by averaging 54.85 but yet, one would like to see him facing more balls up front. If needed, he can be allowed to concentrate on his batting the most for he will certainly be the face of Indian batting in the years post Kohli and Rohit.

It is criminal to waste his talent at No.5 where he can face immense challenge while facing steep targets and get out easily. Once, a legend called Sachin Tendulkar made a special mark in the ODIs after getting promoted to the opening slot from the middle-order. Why the Indian team management can’t think something similar about Rahul today?

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, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-hails-virat-kohli-for-completing-12000-odi-runs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a>’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 &amp; 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.
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Absence of MS Dhoni, Rohit have put Kohli under test</h3>
<figure id="attachment_173720" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-173720" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-173720" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli India and Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-173720" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
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 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-tells-me-that-if-we-take-the-match-to-the-end-then-a-lot-of-runs-can-be-scored-ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>. 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.
<h3 dir="ltr">2. None of the current Indian batters can bowl</h3>
<figure id="attachment_468983" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468983" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-468983" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jasprit-Bumrah-1.jpg" alt="Jasprit Bumrah" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468983" class="wp-caption-text">Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Secondly, the one-sided bowling. India’s attack looked like those old-time 3-2 bowling attacks led by three pacers and two spinners. This is by no means a recipe for wins on a consistent basis. This problem is not difficult even for a layman to detect. India simply need all-rounders to make their bowling look more flexible.
With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitterati-react-to-wasim-jaffers-funny-dig-at-sanjay-manjrekar-after-hardik-pandya-and-ravindra-jadejas-brilliance-against-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hardik Pandya</a> not bowling for months till the second match, the bowling attack turned even more one-dimensional. But one also meets a bigger question here. Why, despite playing KL Rahul as keeper, India are failing to find a sixth bowling option? The reason is simple. There are far too many one-task players in the current national side.
In the past, we saw Sourav Ganguly make Rahul Dravid don the keeping gloves so that he could accommodate a seventh batsman into the side. There were four bowlers left to complete the line-up but Ganguly had the advantage of playing a number of batsmen who could bowl. Be it Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh or himself, the then skipper never had to restrict himself to only five options even if they went for runs. With Kohli, that is not the case.
<h3 dir="ltr">3. The top order still looks shaky</h3>
<figure id="attachment_397514" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397514" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-397514" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mayank-Agarwal.jpg" alt="Mayank Agarwal" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397514" class="wp-caption-text">Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Thirdly, even India’s top order is not in the best of shape. This is a long-drawn problem now. As former Australian cricketer Tom Moody rightly said after the game in Canberra, while India’s No.6 and No.7 batsmen look steady in the form of Pandya and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-should-be-in-the-glass-ajay-jadeja-trolls-ravindra-jadeja-over-ice-pack-on-shoulder-after-canberra-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a> (the duo won it for them in the final match), the top five still needs to get into a coherent structure.
He recalled the infamous Ambati Rayudu case ahead of the ICC World Cup in England last year. After having played the man in the middle order for months, India eventually decided to get rid of him while choosing the squad for the big event. That was not a sound decision as it eventually turned out to be.
If we revisit the tournament, India ended up playing three wicket-keeper-batsmen in an all-important semi-final, a decision far from being the wisest. In this series against Australia, it was Pandya’s brilliant batting that helped India to go past 300 on two occasions. But that can’t hide the less-than-impressive show of some other top-order batsmen.
<h3 dir="ltr">4. Spinners are far from satisfactory</h3>
<figure id="attachment_467799" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467799" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-467799" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467799" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Fourth has been the spinners’s woes. It’s been a long time since the euphoria over the Kul-Cha pair has got over and no new pair has come up to replace them. Jadeja is valued more as a big-hitter down the order. The just concluded ODI series saw India’s spinners going for a lot of runs and they could bag only three wickets together which is not a good sign for the sub-continental team.
There is no doubt that India are a pace-dominated bowling attack now, unlike what it has been historically. But to see the slow bowlers perishing in lieu is not what the fans would like to see.
With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/kuldeep-yadav-disappoints-in-ipl-2020-is-it-the-end-of-road-for-him-in-colours/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kuldeep Yadav</a> fast waning, India need to get new faces on board to spearhead the spin department. Or else, they are in for a big trouble in Tests.
<h3>5. Why not KL Rahul as a permanent opener in limited overs?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_397777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397777" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-397777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-2.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397777" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-will-be-nice-if-david-warner-gets-injured-for-a-long-time-kl-rahul/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KL Rahul</a> is one batsman who India need to utilize the most. The batsman just had a terrific IPL and in the ODIs, he needed to be in the opening slot. Rahul has seen his place in the ODI batting line-up changing far too often in recent times and that’s not something that suits the team.
Rahul is known for opening and averages nearly 54 in 13 innings that he has played in the No.1 batting position. He has also done well at No.5 of late by averaging 54.85 but yet, one would like to see him facing more balls up front. If needed, he can be allowed to concentrate on his batting the most for he will certainly be the face of Indian batting in the years post Kohli and Rohit.
It is criminal to waste his talent at No.5 where he can face immense challenge while facing steep targets and get out easily. Once, a legend called Sachin Tendulkar made a special mark in the ODIs after getting promoted to the opening slot from the middle-order. Why the Indian team management can’t think something similar about Rahul today?

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, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/suryakumar-yadav-hails-virat-kohli-for-completing-12000-odi-runs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Virat Kohli</a>’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 &amp; 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 &#8212; in T20I and 50-over format&#8211; lined up over the next few years, some urgent measures need to be taken to plug the loopholes.
<h3 dir="ltr">1. Absence of MS Dhoni, Rohit have put Kohli under test</h3>
<figure id="attachment_173720" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-173720" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-173720" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Virat-Kohli-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Virat Kohli India and Kuldeep Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-173720" class="wp-caption-text">Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
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 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ms-dhoni-tells-me-that-if-we-take-the-match-to-the-end-then-a-lot-of-runs-can-be-scored-ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>. 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.
<h3 dir="ltr">2. None of the current Indian batters can bowl</h3>
<figure id="attachment_468983" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468983" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-468983" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Jasprit-Bumrah-1.jpg" alt="Jasprit Bumrah" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468983" class="wp-caption-text">Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Secondly, the one-sided bowling. India’s attack looked like those old-time 3-2 bowling attacks led by three pacers and two spinners. This is by no means a recipe for wins on a consistent basis. This problem is not difficult even for a layman to detect. India simply need all-rounders to make their bowling look more flexible.
With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/twitterati-react-to-wasim-jaffers-funny-dig-at-sanjay-manjrekar-after-hardik-pandya-and-ravindra-jadejas-brilliance-against-australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hardik Pandya</a> not bowling for months till the second match, the bowling attack turned even more one-dimensional. But one also meets a bigger question here. Why, despite playing KL Rahul as keeper, India are failing to find a sixth bowling option? The reason is simple. There are far too many one-task players in the current national side.
In the past, we saw Sourav Ganguly make Rahul Dravid don the keeping gloves so that he could accommodate a seventh batsman into the side. There were four bowlers left to complete the line-up but Ganguly had the advantage of playing a number of batsmen who could bowl. Be it Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh or himself, the then skipper never had to restrict himself to only five options even if they went for runs. With Kohli, that is not the case.
<h3 dir="ltr">3. The top order still looks shaky</h3>
<figure id="attachment_397514" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397514" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-397514" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mayank-Agarwal.jpg" alt="Mayank Agarwal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397514" class="wp-caption-text">Mayank Agarwal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Thirdly, even India’s top order is not in the best of shape. This is a long-drawn problem now. As former Australian cricketer Tom Moody rightly said after the game in Canberra, while India’s No.6 and No.7 batsmen look steady in the form of Pandya and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-should-be-in-the-glass-ajay-jadeja-trolls-ravindra-jadeja-over-ice-pack-on-shoulder-after-canberra-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ravindra Jadeja</a> (the duo won it for them in the final match), the top five still needs to get into a coherent structure.
He recalled the infamous Ambati Rayudu case ahead of the ICC World Cup in England last year. After having played the man in the middle order for months, India eventually decided to get rid of him while choosing the squad for the big event. That was not a sound decision as it eventually turned out to be.
If we revisit the tournament, India ended up playing three wicket-keeper-batsmen in an all-important semi-final, a decision far from being the wisest. In this series against Australia, it was Pandya’s brilliant batting that helped India to go past 300 on two occasions. But that can’t hide the less-than-impressive show of some other top-order batsmen.
<h3 dir="ltr">4. Spinners are far from satisfactory</h3>
<figure id="attachment_467799" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-467799" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-467799" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Kuldeep-Yadav-and-Yuzvendra-Chahal.jpg" alt="Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-467799" class="wp-caption-text">Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Fourth has been the spinners’s woes. It&#8217;s been a long time since the euphoria over the Kul-Cha pair has got over and no new pair has come up to replace them. Jadeja is valued more as a big-hitter down the order. The just concluded ODI series saw India’s spinners going for a lot of runs and they could bag only three wickets together which is not a good sign for the sub-continental team.
There is no doubt that India are a pace-dominated bowling attack now, unlike what it has been historically. But to see the slow bowlers perishing in lieu is not what the fans would like to see.
With <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/kuldeep-yadav-disappoints-in-ipl-2020-is-it-the-end-of-road-for-him-in-colours/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kuldeep Yadav</a> fast waning, India need to get new faces on board to spearhead the spin department. Or else, they are in for a big trouble in Tests.
<h3>5. Why not KL Rahul as a permanent opener in limited overs?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_397777" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-397777" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-397777" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/KL-Rahul-2.jpg" alt="KL Rahul" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-397777" class="wp-caption-text">KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/it-will-be-nice-if-david-warner-gets-injured-for-a-long-time-kl-rahul/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KL Rahul</a> is one batsman who India need to utilize the most. The batsman just had a terrific IPL and in the ODIs, he needed to be in the opening slot. Rahul has seen his place in the ODI batting line-up changing far too often in recent times and that’s not something that suits the team.
Rahul is known for opening and averages nearly 54 in 13 innings that he has played in the No.1 batting position. He has also done well at No.5 of late by averaging 54.85 but yet, one would like to see him facing more balls up front. If needed, he can be allowed to concentrate on his batting the most for he will certainly be the face of Indian batting in the years post Kohli and Rohit.
It is criminal to waste his talent at No.5 where he can face immense challenge while facing steep targets and get out easily. Once, a legend called Sachin Tendulkar made a special mark in the ODIs after getting promoted to the opening slot from the middle-order. Why the Indian team management can’t think something similar about Rahul today?

The performance of Virat Kohli’s team in the three-match series that India lost 1-2 points out some loopholes that it needs to plug ahead of some big tournaments coming up over the next few years.

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.