3 Indian batsmen who could make an ODI comeback in the Australia series 

Indian team management will be looking for someone who has loads of experience in the middle order
Indian team management will be looking for someone who has loads of experience in the middle order

The Indian team has continued their purple patch after claiming the ODI series against New Zealand by 3-0 with two matches to go. The Men in Blue have dominated the Kiwis throughout the series and looked flawless in all the three departments.

With ODI series wins against Australia and New Zealand, the Indian team has looked on track with the preparations for the ICC World Cup 2019. There is one grey area which the team will be concerned about and would look to rectify it before entering the mega event.

The batting unit has heavily relied upon the top three batsmen and whenever these batsmen fail to score, the whole team crumbles under pressure. Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni and Kedhar Jadhav have looked good in bits and pieces, but they need to play out of their skin if the top order fails in any match.

The upcoming series will be against Australia at home, and the team management would like to try a few players in the middle order to seek more experience and stability.

Let us find out which Indian player could make an ODI comeback in the Australia series.


#3 Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has batted at no.4 in the ICC World Cup 2015
Ajinkya Rahane has batted at no.4 in the ICC World Cup 2015

Ajinkya Rahane is one of the important players when it comes to the Test team and is the vice-captain of the number one ranked side in Tests. When it comes to the ODI team, he has been in and out of the team.

Rahane has performed well whenever the opportunity is given to him and has batted in the middle order as well as in the opening slot. In Deodhar Trophy, he scored a match-winning 144 runs in the final and was the winning captain of the India C team.

Currently, the Mumbai batsman has also scored two fifties against the English Lions and has looked in good touch. He has already played at #4 for Team India in the World Cup and has all the experience of the mega event. Besides, he is very athletic in the field and can be handy in the fielding department.

Looking at the current form and experience, the selectors might recall Rahane in the ODI series against Australia.

#2 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey will be itching to get one more opportunity before the World Cup
Manish Pandey will be itching to get one more opportunity before the World Cup

The curious case of Manish Pandey remains unsolved as he struggled to cement his place in the Indian team. After the U-19 World Cup in 2008 and 2009 IPL performance, he was rated as the next big thing in Indian cricket.

Besides the match-winning knock of 104 against Australia, Pandey has hardly done any justice to his talent. He has a strong temperament and technique to succeed at the highest level and is the perfect candidate for the middle order slot.

Pandey has scored runs consistently for India A team and also scored a hundred against New Zealand A team. Last year, in the Quadrangular series against Australia A and South Africa A, he performed exceptionally, scoring 306 runs with one century and two half-centuries to his name.

His ability to finish games could be the crucial factor for his selection in the Indian team and could get a recall in the next home series.

#1 Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant can be the X-factor which the Indian team is looking for
Rishabh Pant can be the X-factor which the Indian team is looking for

Rishabh Pant has grown strength to strength since his inception in international cricket. He was recently awarded as the ICC 2018 Emerging Cricketer of the year for his excellent performances with the bat and behind the stumps.

Pant has now become an integral part of the Test team and had played a crucial role in the historic Test series win against Australia. His counter-attacking style of batting has bailed out Team India in crucial situations and added important runs lower down the order.

Pant became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score Test centuries in England and Australia. He can shift gears in any situation and could change the course of the game with his power-hitting abilities.

In spite of good performances, Pant was surprisingly left out of the ODI team, but India's chief selector has assured that the dynamic wicket-keeper is an important part of the World Cup plans.

It won't be a surprise if Pant gets a recall in the home series against Australia.

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