4 biggest positives for Team India from the ODI series

India's tour of Australia finally came to its end at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with India winning the ODI series by 2-1. This has to be the most successful tour of Australia by any Indian Cricket Team so far.

India defeated the hosts in the 4-match test series by 2-1 and now by defeating them in the ODI series, they have dominated the Aussies in their own backyard. India should have won the T20 series also but rain played the spoilsport. Otherwise, it could have been a clean triple sweep of series.

The ODI series versus Australia was a perfect chance for Team India to get their combinations right and allow some players to get back their form. In this series, there were some big positives for Team India which have definitely lessened several headaches for the team management. Let's take a look at some of them.

#4 Kedar Jadhav back with a bang

Kedar Jadhav played a match-winning 61* at the MCG.

Before the ODI series started it seemed unlikely that Kedar Jadhav would get a chance to play in the playing eleven for Team India. But thanks to the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder spot in the team is up for grabs again.

Kedar Jadhav didn't play in the first two matches of the series as India was playing Ravindra Jadeja as the all-rounder and Ambati Rayudu as the no.4 batsman. However, since Rayudu failed to make an impact in the first two matches, Jadhav finally got his chance to play in the final ODI match at the MCG.

Kedar Jadhav, who hasn't played much international cricket outside of Asia was in the spotlight immediately in his comeback match. Chasing just 231, India were in all sorts of trouble after losing the wicket of Virat Kohli. But Jadhav played brilliantly along with MS Dhoni and had a great partnership of 121 runs and took India home.

The most notable thing about Jadhav on his comeback was his fitness. His running between the wickets was superb given the fact that he has a history of hamstring injuries. Jadhav finding his form again is great news for Team India as he can perfectly fill in the all-rounder's spot in the team.

#3 Yuzvendra Chahal among the wickets again

Chahal took a 6-fer in the final match at MCG

Yuzvendra Chahal has been part of the Indian ODI set up since 2016 and since then he has formed a formidable bowling partnership with Kuldeep Yadav. Both of them generally bowl in tandem and pick wickets as a pack, but Chahal's form has recently taken a slide.

In England, he picked up just 2 wickets in the three-match series and in the Asia Cup where the conditions were spin-friendly, Chahal picked up just 6 wickets in 5 matches. The series against West Indies wasn't that great either.

With Jadeja, India has a great fielder and a good batsman along with his world-class left-arm spin, so the pressure was mounting on Chahal. Since Kuldeep was looking ineffective in the series, Chahal finally got his chance at the MCG and grabbed it with both hands.

Chahal bowled with guile and tricked the batsmen in his bowling. He picked up 6 wickets in the match and registered the best bowling figure by an Indian at the MCG and also the best bowling figures in Australia by an Indian spinner in ODIs. His 6 for 42 was a massive contributing factor in India's exceptional bowling performance that restricted Australia to just 230 runs.

#2 Bhuvi got his swing back

Bhuvi was the highest wicket-taker in the ODI series with 8 wickets.

Before heading into the series, the biggest worry for the Indian Team was the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He has looked sloppy since his comeback from the injury which he sustained in the England tour. The swing which made him famous was missing.

But in this series, we saw the glimpses of old Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He swung the ball early in the innings and was the go-to bowler for Virat Kohli in the death overs. He troubled the Australian openers with his swing and Aaron Finch, the Australian captain, succumbed to his swing bowling three times in three matches.

Bhuvi looked a class apart at the depth. He was using his knuckleball to great effect and was nailing the yorkers. He ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the series with 8 wickets at an economy rate of 4.96, which is considered superb in ODI cricket.

#1 MS Dhoni is in form again

MS Dhoni was the highest run-getter in the series for India.

The biggest positive from this ODI series for Team India has to be the form of MS Dhoni. Before the series started there was a lot of talk surrounding MS and whether he should be in the team or not, but he has answered all his critics by playing some match-winning knocks.

Dhoni had a very poor 2018 where he scored just 275 runs at an average of 25. His form and strike-rate were dipping in recent times and with Rishabh Pant performing well in the test series, voices were heard that the youngster should be given a chance. However, Dhoni silenced all the voices by doing what he does best: finishing the match.

In 2018 MS couldn't score a single half-century but in 2019 he has started with three back to back half-centuries. He finished the games for India while chasing a target in both of the games that India won. Dhoni scored 193 runs in the three matches which is the second highest in the series behind Shaun Marsh.

MS Dhoni getting his form back and finishing games for India is a huge positive. MS brings the stability and calmness in the middle-order which is very important while chasing scores.