Five things to look forward to in the India-Australia series

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will helm a new-look side for the Australia seriesA new year always brings something different with it. There is a period of new hopes, newer dreams and plans for improvement. A fresh outlook is also a key ingredient of a nascent year.India's limited-overs teams, chosen for ODIs and Twenty20 internationals in Australia, have the licence to embark on the tour without the baggage from the last six or seven months. Starting over is hard to do, especially when the opponent is in form and even more dangerous at home. But, it can be done.For all the hype surrounding the tour, it is easy to forget that this is just another set of games between two champion sides. On paper, both ODI squads are evenly matched. Given that the kind of tracks used during the 2015 World Cup favoured bat and ball alike, it is widely expected that this series will live up to expectations.Here is a list of five things that we can look forward to as the ODI leg kicks off on January 12, 2016:

#1 Replacing Suresh Raina

Gurkeerat Mann is widely touted to be Raina’s middle-order replacement

As a matter of personal opinion, I think the decision to drop Suresh Raina from the 50-over side is a good one. Despite the immense amount of skill the UP batsman possesses, his form and performances dipped during the past year. Having said that, his quicksilver fielding and tidy bowling will certainly be missed by the team.

The logic of having a replacement player makes good cricketing sense if the skillset is equivalent. In that respect, Punjab all-rounder Gurkeerat Mann should make the cut. He has already displayed his abilities at various levels (India A, Ranji Trophy and the Indian Premier League), and the fact that he can be more than a handy bowler adds more muscle to his selection chances.

I see him batting at No. 6, a step ahead of the spin bowling all rounder (be it Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel). It will be interesting to see how he squares off against Josh Hazlewood and Co. While Manish Pandey also has a chance of a look-in, it is the 25-year-old cricketer from Muktsar who has a clear edge. Problem of plenty for India!

#2 The No.4 conundrum: Will Rahane take it up again?

No. 4 or opener? Rahane’s positional conundrum continues

I’m supportive of the notion that a player must need to step out of his/her comfort zone if they want to grow as cricketers. But this doesn’t mean that their place in the batting order needs to be constantly changed like a Merry-Go-Round attraction at a carnival. Such decisions reek of confusion, thoughtlessness and too much desperation.

Ajinkya Rahane’s case certainly falls into the second category of decisions. Overseas, he has played quite well at the top of the order, as his innings at Birmingham in 2014 suggests. Quite frankly, he is a better opening partner for Shikhar Dhawan than fellow Mumbai player Rohit Sharma; however, the latter has cemented his spot at the top with big scores, forcing the Mulund native to drop down to the middle order.

Even so, Rahane’s position is still not clear. He has played at No. 4, where Dhoni prefers to utilise his abilities. Again, with little thought given, he might be asked to open again, since this time he gets to play on ‘quicker pitches that suit his style’ – how many times have we heard that one?

For the sake of longevity, I’d prefer to have the 27-year-old open with Dhawan right throughout the series. If he is sent in at No. 4, it will be a regressive step, and the conundrum will likely continue on for a while longer. Open with Rahane and you won’t be disappointed – the consummate team man always rises to the occasion.

#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar: One more shot

Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be under pressure

Bhuvneshwar Kumar should consider himself lucky. He wasn’t even in the squad that was finalised for the Australian tour – only making it due to a hamstring injury suffered by Mohammed Shami. I really don’t consider this to be a wise decision from the selectors, though.

For starters, the UP swing bowler has lost much of his precision and accuracy. Second, he has overused the short ball recently; he doesn’t have the pace to deliver those rib snorters, and yet his ‘experimentation’ results in more runs to the batting side.

His role in the team is to get those early breakthroughs – a quality that heralded his arrival in international cricket – and open up the game for India. Swing is a fine weapon to use in Australia, so Kumar needs to generate enough movement from the tracks to trouble the rival batsmen. Line and length are key components in his arsenal, and he needs to refine them even more.

He will be under severe pressure to deliver results this time. Having conceded 106 runs against South Africa at Mumbai, all that the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening bowler can do is play out of his skin and hope for the best.

#4 Australia\'s rising pace bowling stocks

Can Joel Paris fill Starc’s boots?

Australia have done much to replenish their fast bowling options for this series. Injury to their premier strike bowler Mitchell Starc seems to have forced their hand. As a result, two new faces were included in the squad to face off against the Indians – Perth seamer Joel Paris and Victorian fast bowler Scott Boland – in a clear sign that their bench strength is quite impressive.

While Boland has got the support of his state captain and wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade, Paris is the likely frontrunner to lead the attack. At 23, the left-arm paceman has been on song for Western Australia in the domestic setup as well as for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. He is also capable of wielding the willow quite well at times.

What makes Paris dangerous is the fact that he happens to be able to generate swing and bowl at good speeds, and also that India have struggled against left-arm fast bowlers over the last year or so. Mentored by his father Mark, a former all-rounder for the Perth A-grade team, the youngster has done well to listen to the advice offered and has succeeded handsomely.

He may not have Starc’s express pace or inch-perfect toe-crushers, but against the likes of Kohli, Sharma and Co., Joel Paris has his work cut out. Coach Darren Lehmann has identified him and Boland to be the spearheads for this series – only Tuesday’s game can give us a clearer indication.

#5 MS Dhoni\'s Redemption Song

No more baggage. Just play freely, MS

A team that stumbled from one series to another in increasing shame and humiliation. A leader who looked jaded on the field and out in the middle. And a nation that brooked no failure and was vicious in its attacks on both.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in nearly nine years as captain of the limited-overs side, has had to face more brickbats than bouquets in recent times. There have been calls for him to step down as skipper and possibly retire from the game itself. After South Africa mauled his team at the Wankhede not too long ago, the clamours have only intensified.

It is a good thing that the man has stepped back from Test cricket. He has taken enough blows on the chin and tried to hold the morale of the team together on multiple occasions. All these would break a lesser mortal; Dhoni has shown no signs of fragility yet, at least not in public.

Now he has an even bigger challenge to overcome: Australia.

It is 2016 – a new year. This is where his redemption starts. He will do well not to drag the baggage of the last couple of months, and focus on getting back to winning ways. To do this, he needs to play freely – unfettered, uninhibited and uncluttered in thought and action – and lead astutely.

He does let the game drift away at times, giving the opposition a chance to bounce back and post huge scores. A more proactive approach and strategy should be a walk in the park for him now. Only then can he cover his side, and himself, with glory once again. Freedom of expression is for everyone – it’s time the Jharkhand native makes the most of it. Good luck!