India may be back playing in their favourite format, but the match against England exposed a lot of issues India need to address immediately.
Opening combination
Shikhar Dhawan has been consistently struggling and his poor technique to counter moving ball has exposed his vulnerability at the top.
He needs to work on his temperament, curb his shots early in the innings and play based on the merit of each ball. He is a natural stroke-maker but on bouncy and moving conditions he has been found wanting.
He needs couple of big scores otherwise Ajinkya Rahane should take over in the World Cup as Rohit Sharma’s opening partner. Having said that, there is a very little chance that Dhawan will be left out of the World Cup.
Is Ambati Rayudu a number 3?
Sharma’s hamstring injury forced him to sit out the England game and Rayudu was sent in at no. 3 to face the rampaging Steven Finn and Jimmy Anderson. While he stuck in the middle for some time and played some desperate shots, he looks a misfit at 3.
There could be a reason not to send Virat Kohli in early to face Anderson, but he’s the best bet to bat at 3. The ball is hard earlier in the innings and Kohli likes the ball to come on to the bat nicely to play his strokes.
Lower order
While middle order has Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, who are natural stroke-makers and can pace the innings at will, they need strong support at other end, and Stuart Binny seems the right option. Binny should be given a decent shot, as an all rounder he could play an important role in the World Cup. And while opening bowling with him against England was too much to ask, he did his bit by taking the only wicket.
Axar Patel could be a handy bowler to contain runs in the middle overs, but I am not so confident about his batting on Australian pitches, after he got out without scoring runs in both matches. He needs to score runs right away and keep the scoreboard ticking, and he hasn’t been up to the mark here. Once Ravindra Jadeja is fit, he will have to play similar role as I described for Patel.
Bowling combinations
Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav have not made a mark on this tour but have conceded lot of runs. If this is still the case by the end of this series, India may want to try Ishant Sharma ahead of Yadav or Shami.
India need to regain the momentum in the remaining two matches. While qualifying for the final is now a distant dream, they could use these matches to make a call on Dhawan and Binny.
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