India vs Australia 2020: 5 things we learnt from the series

An interesting three-match ODI series between India and Australia has come to an end, with the home team emerging victorious. This series win is important for India as they had lost their previous ODI rubber against the same team in Indian conditions. By winning this contest, they have redeemed themselves to an extent.

For Australia the result should cause disappointment as they started in spectacular fashion, thrashing India in the first match of the series. But the Virat Kohli-led team showed that they remain a very tough side to beat at home.

Now that the series is done and dusted, it is time for us to look back at the contest and identify the five big takeaways from it. Even though we are a long way away from the next ODI World Cup and the focus is presently on the T20 World Cup set to be held later this year, there are still important things to take note of from these three matches.

Here's a look at the five most important points to remember from this India-Australia series.

1. Kohli’s presence at No. 3 is essential

India are unlikely to remove Kohli from his No. 3 spot again

The Indian team decided to experiment a little in the first ODI by having their captain and best batsman Virat Kohli bat at No. 4, giving up his customary No. 3 position in favour of KL Rahul. But that experiment lasted only one match as everyone realized that Kohli – one of the all-time great ODI batsmen – has to be used at the pivotal one-down position.

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Batting one position below your usual spot may not seem like that big a difference but it usually does affect a batsman’s performance, both in Tests and one-dayers. Kohli has racked up 43 ODI centuries so far in his career and most of them have come at No. 3. Why should he be removed from that spot?

Also, the basis of India’s great success in ODI cricket over the last few years has been the formidable top 3 of Rohit-Dhawan-Kohli. One should never try to fix anything that’s not broken, and this combination has worked beautifully.

Watching Kohli come out to bat after getting the first breakthrough isn’t very encouraging for the opposition. His arrival just means that the bowling attack has to expend huge amounts of energy to open up the middle order.

It’s good that the Indian team management has gone back to the working formula.

2. Rahul proves his value in middle order

KL Rahul proved himself as a capable batsman in the middle order too

With Virat Kohli’s No. 3 spot proving to be non-negotiable, KL Rahul has to get used to batting in the middle order. In what would be an absolutely delightful development for the Indian team, he proved that he can do this job very well.

Rahul's knock in the second ODI showed that not only can he build an innings at the No. 4 position, but he can also accelerate towards the end of the innings and provide the big push needed at that time. The way he smashed the Australian bowlers in the death overs of that game was brilliant to watch.

With Rahul looking comfortable at No. 4, India’s top order gets strengthened even more. Of course, in case one of the Indian openers gets injured, the Karnataka batsman also acts as a ready-made back-up opener. Hence, it’s a win-win situation for India.

The only thing that remains to be seen now is whether Rahul can perform consistently in the middle order. If he achieves that, all of the team's batting problems would be solved.

3. Lack of depth in fast bowling reserves

The only negative for India from this series is the fact that they don’t seem to have great reserves of talent in the fast bowling department. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami once again proved to be brilliant, Navdeep Saini didn’t quite have a great time.

It’s clear that India need Bhuvneshwar Kumar to come back into the team. With him in the playing XI, the trio of Bumrah-Bhuvi-Shami would form one of the best ODI bowling attacks in the world.

India should also consider trying out some of their regular Test bowlers in ODIs. The likes of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav haven’t played ODI cricket for some time; if they can succeed in the longer format, they perhaps deserve another chance in this version too.

Still, this series reinforced the value of Bhuvneshwar. With his skills and ability to keep the batsmen in check, he is a key member of the Indian ODI team.

4. Kuldeep is India’s best spinner

Since the World Cup, the Indian team has been trying to figure out which of their three main spinners in ODIs – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja – is the lead spinner. Though Jadeja can come in as an all-rounder too, when Hardik Pandya comes back he may have to rely on his spin-bowling credentials to make it into the XI.

In this series, India opted for the Kuldeep and Jadeja combination rather than the usual KulCha alliance. And once again, Kuldeep proved his quality as an ODI bowler.

He has been one of the best performers in the Indian side and had played a key role in India’s World Cup campaign also. And yet he hasn’t been celebrated as much as the batsmen.

But with this series, Kuldeep has ensured that when the Indian team management sits down to pick a spin bowling attack, his name would come up first. Chahal also deserves more chances, but he will have to wait; it’s the Chinaman bowler who now holds the top position in the pecking order.

5. Labuschagne deserves more chances in ODIs

Labuschagne seems capable of performing in ODIs too

This series saw the debut of Marnus Labuschagne.

The right-hander has set the world alight with his prolific run-getting in the longest format. In this series, while Labuschagne got just two innings, he gave enough evidence that he can contribute greatly in the 50-over format too.

His shot-making was as good to watch in this series as it has been in the Tests. Yes, he may not be an all-out attacking batsman like David Warner, but he can provide heft in the middle order.

With Aaron Finch and Warner at the top of the order and Steve Smith at No. 3, Labuschagne is a very valuable addition at No. 4.

However, there is also a case for bringing Usman Khawaja back into the team. The left-hander had a great tour of India last year and did well subsequently too. If Khawaja comes back into the team, then Labuschagne would face tough competition; since both of them are grafters and not dashers, they can’t bat lower than No. 4.

Hence, Labuschagne will have to get some big scores under his belt in the coming series, or else Khawaja will remain lurking around the corner.