The 5-match ODI series against the Australian Team at home was the final opportunity for the Indian skipper and management to figure out their best possible squad which they would want to send for the mega event in England later in the year. However, as Australia thumped India in the final ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi to clinch the series, after losing the first two games, Indian skipper and team management has a few staggering questions to settle ahead of the 50-over World Cup.
Indians dominated in the first 2 ODIs and it looked as if the Kohli-led men in blue will take the series quite convincingly but Australians yet again showed their "Never Say Die" attitude and won the series 3-2.
What really went wrong for India then? Let's talk about 5 reasons why Indian juggernaut was stopped after the 2nd ODI.
1) The unsettled middle-order
Indians have been looking for their number 4 and 5 for quite a while and the way things have panned out in this series, it is evident that the team is still not sure who they want to play at that spot. Coming into the series, one would've thought that Ambati Rayudu had sealed the number 4 position with his consistent performances during the tour of New Zealand. However, Rayudu's failure in the first 3 ODIs against Australia saw India draft KL Rahul in the playing XI for the 4th ODI. Rahul could not produce any magic as India bowed to the assault of Ashton Turner in the run chase. Looking to strengthen the bowling unit after the 4th ODI KL Rahul was dropped from the side with Pant occupying the number 4 in the final ODI and yet again, all Indian management got from this constant chopping and changing was nothing.
2) The fifth bowler trauma
It will be right to say that India missed the services of all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the whole series. With his aggressive bowling approach, Pandya brings a lot to the table something which was missing from the Indian bowling attack, especially then when the main bowlers were taken to cleaners. While Jadhav and Shankar did bowl well in patches, they were never as threatening as Pandya would've been.
3) The long tail
It won't be wrong to say that Indians were lucky to be winning the 2nd ODI after posting a mere 250. If it was not for the skipper Kohli's century, India would've been bundled out for 150 odd runs. India's tail was exposed once again as they lost their last 4 wickets for 12 runs. The fourth ODI saw a similar fate as Indians could only manage 358 runs after terrific 193-run stand between the openers. The total would've been a lot less had it not been the cameos from Shankar and Pant. Again, India lost the last 4 wickets for just 21 runs. Chasing 272 in the decider, the lower order of the Indians side was exposed once again. Indians were short by one main batsman and needed a couple of good knocks from the lower order of the side. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar did play a superb 46, Jadeja could not snap the opportunity and was sent back to the pavilion for a duck. Yet again, men in blue lost the last 4 for 13 runs.
4) Confused skipper and his experiments
With Kohli at the helm, the experiments are constant and sometimes, too much of them are harmful. In a bid to give more batting opportunities, Kohli opted to sacrifice his batting position to KL Rahul in the 4th ODI. Indian openers put on a mammoth 193-run stand but Rahul failed to seize the opportunity. Kohli's numbers at 4 had been dismal in the few instances he had batted and it continued again. In the same ODI when Indians were defending the target, Kohli continued to bowl Chahal who was taken to task by Peter Handscomb and Ashton Turner. Shankar who had bowled 5 economical overs should've been trusted by his skipper, provided he had sealed the game for Indian with a twin strike in the 1st one-dayer.
5) Australia's spirited comeback
While these reasons can be attributed to the series loss, one can not deny the way Finch and his troops bounced back after the hammering in the first 2 ODIs. Since the Capetown saga in South Africa, the morals in the Aussie camps haven't been at the best but the likes of Khawaja, Handscomb, and Turner stepped up at the right time for Australia. After the batters, Cummins and Zampa upped the ante and Indians could do nothing but surrender.
