5 Indian players who might have played their last series in Australia

The Indian cricket team thumped the Australians to a 2-1 win victory in the recently-concluded ODI series. With this resounding win, India has their place etched in the books and have emerged as one of the top contenders to win the ICC 2019 World Cup.

India has had a lot of positive takeaways from the series against Australia which includes Dhoni's return to form, Bhuvi's much-awaited comeback, Dinesh Karthik's potential finishing skills. Even without Jasprti Bumrah, the Indian bowling attack did their job well and restricted the Australian batsmen.

Youngsters like Vijay Shankar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Mohammed Siraj had an opportunity to impress in the series and stake their claim for a World Cup spot. Also, for some of the Indian players, this could be their last tour to Australia.

On that note, we take a look at the Indian cricketers who might have played their last series in Australia.

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#5 Dinesh Karthik

Australia v India - ODI: Game 1

Dinesh Karthik, the 33-year-old seasoned campaigner from Tamil Nadu, played a crucial role in India's victory in the second ODI against Australia.

Playing at No.6, Dinesh Karthik delivered the goods for India as he played a noteworthy cameo of 25 runs from just 14 balls at a brilliant strike-rate of 178.57 to win the second ODI. He rotated the strike consistently and perfectly assisted the in-form Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the run chase.

With these performances, the selectors might have already zeroed down Dinesh Karthik for the No.6 position. However, Dinesh Karthik might not be the long-term solution and ideal option in the long run considering the age factor. At 33, Dinesh Karthik might have played his last series in Australia.

#4 Kedar Jadhav

Australia v India - ODI: Game 3

Kedar Jadhav successfully assisted Mahendra Singh Dhoni in India's run chase during the final match of the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia and played a huge role in the series win.

Kedar Jadhav played a match-winning knock of 61* runs from 57 balls at a strike rate of 107.02, which included 7 fours. He also chipped with six overs during the middle overs of the match and conceded 35 runs at an economy of 5.83.

Despite possessing great talents and splendid skills, he is currently 33 years old and is a more of an injury prone cricketer.

Adding to that, India might look to try out young players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, and Mayank Agarwal after the 2019 World Cup. This could very well be his last tour of Australia.

#3 Ambati Rayudu

Australia v India - ODI: Game 2

Another batsman who is into his 30s. Rayudu has wasted the opportunity to seal his place in the team and was even dropped for the third ODI. Rayudu made a comeback to the Indian team after he scored 602 runs for Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Despite performing exceptionally well in the ODI series against West Indies, Rayudu clearly faltered in the fast-paced pitches in Australia and never really managed to get going. Rayudu got out for a duck in the first ODI and managed just 24 runs in the second. Due to his poor run of form, he was replaced by Kedar Jadhav for the final ODI.

With Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, and Manish Pandey waiting in the wings, Ambati Rayudu could well be dropped if he continues to underperform and therefore, might have played his last series in Australia.

#2 Murali Vijay

Australia v India - 2nd Test: Day 2

From being one of the most reliable openers to becoming one of the sacked cricketers, Murali Vijay has come across a drastic transition in his cricketing career over a span of just one year.

Despite being considered as one of the lynchpins in the batting order in overseas conditions, Murali Vijay has completely looked out of sorts and hasn't been able to capitalize on his batting strengths since 2018. Murali Vijay's biggest armor of leaving the balls outside the off-stump has completely faded away.

Murali Vijay accumulated just 49 runs from four innings at an average of 12.25 in the series against Australia. India also have quite a options at the top of the order in Tests with the likes of Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Shikhar Dhawan.

With neither form nor age on his side, Murali Vijay might have played his last Test match for India.

#1 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni, Australia v India - ODI: Game 3

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the former Indian captain, completely deserves the credit for the ODI series victory against Australia. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has once again proved his worth as a finisher and has silenced his critics in the best way possible.

Dhoni played well throughout the series and finished the series as the second highest run-getter, only behind Australian middle-order batsman Shaun Marsh. He has also entered the record books by becoming only the fourth Indian player to score 1000 or more runs in Australia.

These knocks will surely give him the confidence and the boost ahead of the much important 2019 ICC World Cup. However, we might not get to see him play in Australia once again as Dhoni might retire just after the 2019 World Cup.