Virat Kohli may have finished an ODI series with a sub-50 average, the first such instance in the last seven occasions. Still, it didn’t affect India a wee bit during the five-match ODI series against Australia which concluded on Sunday.
Both the teams have taken a short break before they will reassemble in Ranchi for the three-game T20I series.
Here’s a look at India’s key takeaways from the series:
Pandya punch
In a series which has had positives galore for the winning side, when its captain refers to a player as the ‘biggest asset’, he ought to have had a huge impact. Such was the contribution of Hardik Pandya with the bat and the ball that Virat Kohli heaping praise on him on Sunday night didn’t sound exaggerated at all.
The all-rounder pulled India out of a hole with a whirlwind knock in Kolkata down the order and in the next two matches capitalised the opportunity to bat at No. 4 with useful innings.
His ability to dominate spinners — especially with hitting sixes at will — has impressed connoisseurs and amazed aficionados.
Add to that his sharp medium-pacers and Pandya seems to carry the ‘complete package’ tag. Perhaps, India’s long search for a pace-bowling all-rounder has ended!
Rahane’s revival
India has a problem of plenty when it comes to openers in the ODI squad. As a result, despite emerging as the ‘man-of-the-series’ in the West Indies, Ajinkya Rahane had to be benched for the following series in Sri Lanka once Rohit Sharma returned. An emergency on the personal front meant Shikhar Dhawan had to pull out from the Australia series, presenting Rahane with another chance to make a case for a permanent slot.
And the opener made utmost use of it, scoring four consecutive fifties and being involved in three successive hundred-run partnerships with Rohit. With Dhawan set to return for the remainder of the home season, perhaps, it’s time for Rahane to be tried out at No. 4 yet again in ODIs.
Part-time magic
Ever since a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni threw the ball to him out of nowhere during the home series against New Zealand last October, Kedar Jadhav has consistently been used as a partnership-breaker.
The diminutive bowler’s slinging offies may seem innocuous from a distance but Jadhav has foxed the best with his part-timers.
His stock with the ball rose so much that, in Nagpur on Sunday, he was introduced on a slow surface as early as the 14th over and he bowled 10 overs on the trot for the first time.
Spin experiments
The selectors’ and the team management’s decision to move on from R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for white-ball cricket had raised lots of eyebrows ahead of the series.
However, the wrist-spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, and the accurate left-armer Axar Patel could emerge India’s first-choice spinners for the shorter formats before the end of India’s home season.
Deadly at the death
In the olden days, the pace bowlers would use the new ball and then return to finish the ODI innings. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have turned the clock back in a way, albeit, after lending a modern touch.
The duo moves the new ball a little bit, which combined with their nagging line and length is enough to entice batsmen into mistakes.
And their consistency in hitting the blockhole at the ‘death’ has made them the best combination.
Even Australia skipper Steve Smith said so mid-series!
