Australia beat India 2-1 in the three-match ODI series that ended on Wednesday night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The visitors suffered a defeat in the opening match of the series in Mumbai but bounced back to win the remaining matches in Vizag and Chennai to complete the series win.
The Indian team suffered their first series defeat at home in 2023. Earlier this year, the Men in Blue recorded convincing wins over Sri Lanka and New Zealand but failed to defeat the Australians.
It is a World Cup year and this series defeat will help the Indian team management to work on their weak points before the next ODI series. Here’s a look at three takeaways for India from their losing streak against Australia.
#1 India need a solid backup option for Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was one of the biggest match winners for India in the ODIs played last year. His consistent performances in the middle order have helped the Men in Blue win more games. However, Iyer missed the series against Australia due to a back injury.
There have been reports claiming that Iyer could be out of commission for a few months, meaning the Indian ODI team will need a new batsman for the number four spot. Suryakumar Yadav got three chances to prove himself against Australia but was dismissed all three times for a golden duck.
With Rishabh Pant also ruled out, the Indian team has to prepare a new batsman as a replacement for Shreyas Iyer. Indian selectors can try out Sanja Samson, Rajat Patidar and Rahul Tripathi. It will be interesting to see if they find a good replacement for Iyer if he fails to get fit for the World Cup.
#2 India need a better partner for Ravindra Jadeja in the spin department
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel partnered Ravindra Jadeja in the Indian team’s spin attack for this series. While Jadeja took two wickets in two innings and maintained an economy rate of 4.21, the other two spinners could not control the flow of runs.
Yadav took four wickets in three matches, but his economy rate was 6.1, while Patel had 7.45 runs per over. On the other hand, Australian spinners Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell had an economy rate of less than five runs per over.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar were present in the Indian squad for this series. The team management may try one of the two spinners along with Jadeja in their next matches.
#3 Should India recall Shikhar Dhawan?
Shikhar Dhawan was dropped from India’s ODI squad recently and youngsters Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill took his place. Gill has been in top form this year but the same cannot be said for Ishan.
After his double hundred against Bangladesh, Kishan played three innings against New Zealand and returned with scores of 5, 8* and 17. He opened the innings with Gill in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the first ODI against Australia and scored just three runs.
With the World Cup fast approaching, the Indian think tank might consider giving veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan another chance. Dhawan has excellent results in ICC tournaments and has tons of experience playing in domestic conditions.