3 reasons why India could struggle in AUS vs IND 2025 ODI series

Question marks over all-rounders and team balance

There is a question mark over all-rounders and team balance as Team India prepares for the ODI series against Australia. With Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar likely to be part of the playing XI, the trio must deliver Down Under.

Reddy is expected to take confidence from his maiden Test century against the Aussies in Melbourne last year. Sundar also boasts a couple of half-centuries against the Aussies in the red-ball format.

However, the onus will be on Axar Patel to deliver in the absence of seasoned pro Ravindra Jadeja, who failed to find a place in the 15-member ODI squad. The left-arm spinner has managed just two wickets and one run in his four ODIs in Australia. Overall, with the bat, he has 783 runs in 47 innings at an average of 22.37, including three half-centuries. The 31-year-old has only one fifty away from home, against the West Indies in Port of Spain.

Additionally, the tail-enders rarely wag for the Men in Blue. Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana are unlikely to provide the batting depth that Australia possesses, particularly in Mitchell Starc.