India vs Australia 2019: 5 reasons that led to India's failure in the ODI series

When India finished the first two ODI games of the series with two straight wins, no one would have expected the shocking results that followed. The moment Kohli nicked the ball to the keeper, everyone in the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium were left disappointed knowing the outcome of the game and eventually the series.

The team, that won many limited-overs series in the recent past across different countries, faced a heartbreaking loss at home against the same opposition whom they thrashed at their own backyard not so long ago.

On the other hand, Australia would be a happier bunch after securing a comeback win from being 2-0 down.

Even though the Indian team are still among the front-runners to lift the World Cup this year, we would like to have a look into the reasons that would have led to this shocking series defeat.

Here are five reasons behind India's unexpected ODI series defeat at home against Australia.

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#5 Unsettled middle-order

Ambati Rayudu's place in the playing eleven is once again under scrutiny

The middle-order seems like a bigger issue for the Indian cricket team heading into the bigger tournament of the year. As many as three options have been tried at No.4 in the form of Rayudu, Rahul and Rishabh Pant in the series and no one grabbed the spot for themselves.

The performances of Vijay Shankar, Kedhar Jadhav and even Bhuvaneshwar in the last game gave a glimpse of hope for the Indian side. However, it is not the lower middle order which actually troubles Kohli and men in their scheme of things.

Rayudu was good in patches in the earlier series but failed to capitalize on the same in home series.

The fact that he was unable to score big even in his home ground made matters worse for him. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were given very limited chances comparing Rayudu though. With just the IPL left before the World Cup, it is a million dollar question on who would be played at No. 4.

#4 Lack of consistency from openers

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were not at their best in the ODI series

If one checked the stats of India's batsmen from recent past, it will be clear that most runs have come from the bat of openers and Virat Kohli. While Kohli has been at his best as always, openers failed miserably except for one big partnership they stitched in the fourth ODI.

This left a big weight on the shoulders of middle order batsmen. Funny fact is that Rohit and Dhawan still ended the series with second and third most runs for India. Dhawan’s 149 in fourth ODI and couple of fifties from Rohit ensured the same. What India missed a lot is a good partnership at the top in every game which could have resulted in a better outcome.

India would be hoping to see their openers get back to rich form with the help of IPL time before they step into the all important World Cup.

#3 Hardik Pandya's untimely injury

Pandya was injured before the ODI series

Management decided to rest Pandya for the limited over series against Australia giving him an extended time to recover from injury. This in turn led to the different combinations India opted throughout the series. Vijay Shankar did play well in almost all the games, but absence of Pandya was felt considering how rarely Kohli used Shankar with the ball.

Not to forget that Shami faced an injury scare in the third ODI leading to him being rested for 4th game. Rhythm with which he bowled in first two games went slightly missing in the fifth ODI. In fact, he was bowling so well compared to Bumrah in the first two games.

To make matters worse, MS Dhoni was resting for the last two ODI games. This meant, the younger Pant was donning the gloves behind the stumps. Although, he lacked the keeping skills (which we believe he will learn much quicker) of that of MSD, it is worthy to note that the dropped chances from his end has definitely hurt India's chances of winning the game.

We understand that MSD do need some rest and it is important to give Pant his chances behind the stumps, but we feel that India should have won the series before resting the key players.

#2 Losing the toss in the series decider

Kohli did not have much luck with the toss

Kohli lost the toss in the all important decider which almost affected the result of the game. He even admitted that he would have opted to bat first had he won the toss. If this game was lost partly at the toss, the previous two games had a lot to blame on the decision made after winning the toss.

We can't blame Kohli or the team management for the decision, since they expected dew to play a part in the result. Only thing that was heartening at the end of day was the words from captain Kohli who took these games as a learning curve.

#1 Australia find unlikely heroes

Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb were dominant with the bat

For once, let us appreciate the efforts from the opposition side. Even though the Australian side started the ODI series in the back foot with two straight losses, it was clear that they had worthy players to pull things back. What followed in the next three games just proved that. While Khawaja and Handscomb were the mainstays with the bat, the trio of Cummins, Richardson and Zampa nailed it with the ball.

It is worthy to note that Nathan Coulter Nile's travel back home has led to inclusion of Jhye Richardson in the playing XI which became a welcome change. Zampa bowled brilliantly in the last game dismissing the key batsmen and Cummins has been at his brutal best all throughout the series.