For Team India the 1-2 defeat in the just concluded One-Day International (ODI) series in Australia comes across as a setback to commence the much-awaited tour. Virat Kohli’s boys were completely outplayed by the hosts in the first two matches in Sydney where the pitches had not much to offer for the bowlers. However, when the caravan of the tour moved to a scratchy wicket at the capital city of Canberra, the Indian touring contingent made their presence felt by outclassing the mighty Aussies.
Here are some of the key takeaways for the Indian team from this short series.
Hardik Pandya’s impressive comeback
After recovering from a career-threatening lower back injury, this three-match ODI series was Hardik Pandya’s first international appearance since September 2020. And with 210 runs in the three outings which includes couple of 90s under pressure, he did a commendable job as a No. 6 batsman. Not just that, Hardik even bowled a decent spell in the second ODI and got the important scalp of Steve Smith. Overall, following a relatively quite IPL season (where he only played as a specialist batsman) it has been a decent comeback for this premier Indian all-rounder. Though, one needs to admit that Hardik is still not fit ready to bowl longer spells, but purely as a batsman he has certainly proved his worth in India’s white-ball set-up.
Ravindra Jadeja’s growing stature as a finisher
Ravindra Jadeja’s growing stature as a finisher for India in limited-overs cricket was evident throughout this ODI series, especially in the last match. Coming at the crease when his team was tottering at 152 for 5, he formed a record 150-run sixth-wicket stand along with Hardik which scripted India’s first triumph of this tour. Following MS Dhoni’s retirement, the team management has been banking on Jadeja’s talent and experience to take up the No.7 slot and the southpaw with his unbeaten 66 off 50 at Canberra has lived up to the expectations yet again.
Shardul Thakur’s perfect execution with ball
Having sit in the sidelines for the first two matches, Shardul Thakur got his opportunity in the third game when the think-tank decided to rest out of form Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Shami. However, the Mumbaikar made his mark in his second over, getting in-form Smith out caught down the leg side with a cross-seamer. The boost he got following that wicket, saw him bowling an immaculate line and length which got rid off two more Aussie batsmen (Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott). He eventually ended up with figures of 3 for 51 in his 10 overs. Thakur’s performance might just have shown the management what they were missing, in terms of execution in the pace bowling and in the upcoming T20I series he has be in the first-choice playing XI.
T Natarajan’s impressive debut
Despite going for 70 in his 10 overs IPL star T Natarajan had a pretty impressive debut at the international level. He was a late inclusion in the ODI squad (as a cover for Saini) and finally got his maiden cap at Canberra. Soon he got into the marks by disturbing the furniture of Marnus Labuschagne. This was in fact India’s first wicket in the powerplay in this entire series. Natarajan utilised the scratchiness of the surface beautifully and primality targeted the back of length area. He was also not afraid of bowling his variations. Towards the end, amid Glenn Maxwell’s counter attack, he held his nerves and got a dangerous looking Ashton Agar out. Following this show it is expected that we might see more of Natarajan in the T20I series.
Virat Kohli getting back in the grooves
After an inconsistent IPL, Virat Kohli seemed to be getting his mojo back during these ODIs. With 173 runs, which included couple of well-paced half-centuries, he was India’s second highest scorer in the series. Most importantly, the skipper looked like getting his timing back, which is an encouraging sign for the visitors heading into upcoming T20Is and most importantly the Day-Night Test in Adelaide, staring from December 17.