4 worries that Team India need to sort-out despite series win

Team India wrapped up the Momentum ODI series 5-1 with a crushing win over South Africa in the final match. Previously, the Men in Blue had rallied to the pinnacle of ICC ODI Team rankings over the Rainbow nation following the win at Port Elizabeth in the fifth match. The hosts will not be too pleased with their performance in this series as they were handed only their seventh defeat in a bilateral series in their own backyard. The fact that skipper Virat Kohli has led his side to become only the second team after Australia to have won a bilateral series in South Africa consisting of 5 or more matches has won several plaudits from the experts. But as Jonny Sexton rightfully once said,"The best teams learn their lessons in victory as well as defeat."

Here are few things India still need to work on to become unstoppable in the ODI format:

4. The run-out hiccups

The run-out worry

The ongoing series has seen only a few run-outs but most of them at the crucial stage of the innings. Out of 4 run-outs, three came in crunch situations. Be it Dhawan's wicket running alongside Kohli or Kohli losing his wicket yet another time (fifth time) while running with Rohit Sharma or Rahane getting run-out while forming a partnership with the vice-captain, the pricey wickets were presented without too much effort by the opposition bowlers.

Though these wickets did not make much impact in the series, these silly run-outs are bound to cost the team massively at some point if it isn't sorted-out effectively and immediately.

3. Honing backup bowlers

Fresh arms become handy

The Indian bowling unit in this series can be rated as one of the finest that has toured with Team India in recent times. Fast bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are well-aware of their strengths and they complement each other. With Bumrah playing the entire tour and Bhuvi missing out only a match in each of the formats, their dependency has to be distributed to the second line of bowlers too. It was a welcome move to rest Bhuvi and unleash Shardul Thakur, who performed well to grab 4 wickets. In the upcoming tours as well, it is necessary to get the backup fast bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav in playing XI whenever possible. The approach, in long-term, will help to marshal a fabulous core of fast bowlers who are always on their toes and come in to play under all circumstances.

The spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav ripped through the South African lineup in all games bar the 'Pink ODI'. The duo combined to grab 33 wickets together in the series. On current form, neither would want to sit on the bench but one of them can be relieved occasionally to accommodate Axar Patel's left-arm spin and handy lower-order batting in the team.

Hence, with the World Cup roughly a year away, the bowler rotation policy will serve both as an opportunity to build the second line of quality bowlers as well as to preserve the front-line bowlers.

2. Oscillation of Pandya's batting position

Jack of all trades?

The all-rounder who has turned several games in India's favor with his every possible contribution in crucial junctures (a direct hit to run out Hashim Amla and 2 significant wickets off his bowling in fifth ODI) is having a very ordinary series with the bat where the all-rounder operated as a floater in the batting lineup. He has scored only 26 runs in this series where he batted initially as No.5 at the start of the series, then was dropped to 7th position for the next two innings and got promoted to No.6, where he did not trouble the scorers. The constant chopping and changing of his batting position in almost every match seems to obstruct him from acquiring consistency. It is imperative to freeze his batting position for better results in the forthcoming matches.

1. Middle order anguish

Not many middle order batsmen have 'middled' the ballRohit Sharma, with a century in 5th ODI was late to join the party that Dhawan and Kohli had been organizing almost the entire series. Ergo, the top order notches up full marks. Apart from the brilliant fifty in the first ODI and helpful innings in the final ODI, the No.4 batsman, Rahane was only decent but not in his sublime form. Lamentably, the successive batsmen also did not score much when required with the only exception being Dhoni's 42 in a losing cause in the fourth ODI. With the current form of top 3 batsmen, Team India's middle order woes have not caught much attention. It is high time to arrive at solid No.4 and No.5 batsmen who are capable of steadying the ship as well as accelerating it, irrespective of top order's performances.