SWOT analysis of India's ODI squad for the Australian tour

Weaknesses:

It has become almost impossible to imagine an India vs Australia 50 over match without ‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma. The seven-match ODI series in 2013 was the time when Rohit really established himself as a white-ball opener, scoring his first double century at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Since then, Rohit has never looked back. He has amassed 2208 runs in 40 innings, the 2nd most by an Indian, at an average of 61.33.

The top 5 in the ODI team consists of batsmen that tend to rely more on stroke-making and building an inning, rather than sheer power-hitting. While most of them possess a good strike-rate, they aren’t batsmen who can change the course of the game with their six-hitting abilities. KL Rahul is one batsman who can adapt in this role if the top-order gives a good start. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja possess this skill, which will be crucial lower down the order.

This could be the perfect opportunity for batsmen like Mayank Agarwal, Shumban Gill, and Prithvi Shaw to establish themselves as openers in the 50-overs format. While Dhawan and Rohit would certainly aim to play in the 2023 ODI WC, their age and fitness might end up taking a toll on them. Therefore, it is essential that they grab the limited opportunities that come their way.