India vs Australia 2019, ODI series: Hits and misses

The India versus Australia series is over, and in quite an upset, it’s not Virat Kohli’s men that have emerged as winners. The Aaron Finch-led Australian side made one of the most stunning comebacks in recent history to win the 5-match series, after being 2-0 down in the first two matches. Yes, the score-line says, AUS 3-2 IND.

India hasn’t lost too many limited-overs series in the last few years, but Australia has come to India and clinched both the T20 and ODI series. Here, we dive deep into the ODI series and pick out the biggest hits and misses from the 5-match ODI series in Australia’s tour of India, 2019.

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#7 Hit: Peter Handscomb and Ashton Turner

What an onslaught from Turner in the 3rd ODI

Peter Handscomb's innings of 117 off 105 balls in the fourth ODI at Mohali was nothing less than magical. Winning the match looked distant thought when Handscomb joined Usman Khawaja, but by the time he left, with the Ashton Turner show picking up on the other end, fans had been stunned.

A solid 52(60) at Delhi, and an almost show-stopping 48 off 59 before being run-out at Nagpur has shown everyone that he deserves to be in the Australian cricket team.

On the other hand, Turner caught everyone's attention. If you didn’t know him from his Big Bash exploits or from his inclusion into the Rajasthan Royals squad camp, you certainly know him from the 84 runs he scored off 43 balls at Mohali in the 4th ODI of the series.

In a pressure game, and a pressure situation, Turner came to bat against one of the best bowling attacks in the world, and he probably blew away the spirits the Indian team then and there itself.

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#6 Miss: Ravindra Jadeja

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

Ravindra Jadeja has had a decent last 10 months, scoring runs in red-ball Cricket, picking up wickets, and surprisingly making a comeback into the ODI squad. However, he had a very forgettable series against the Aussies. In fact, other than some brilliant run-out dismissals, there’s not much from Jadeja’s excerpts from the series.

If this was his audition for the World Cup, you’ll have to say it couldn’t have been much worse for India’s red-ball specialist, scoring 45 runs to go along with 3 wickets.

Jadeja might have just dropped his ticket to England, and from here on, it’d be a big surprise if he makes it to the World Cup squad.

#5 Hit: Virat Kohli

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

A series starts. A series ends. You expect Virat Kohli to score lots of runs at the start, and he scores lots of runs by the time it ends. Moreover, he gets a couple of centuries to go along with it and keeps getting closer and closer to the Master’s record of 51 ODI centuries.

India versus Australia in February-March 209 was nothing different. Kohli scored 2 centuries - 116 at Nagpur and 123 in Ranchi. He has now broken some more records, most notably surpassing Rahul Dravid as the third highest run-getter for India in the 50-over format.

Though, he would not like to remember the series, since he takes a lot of pride in winning for his country. Yet, on a personal note, this was another feather on the cap for the best modern-day batsman. The series may be bittersweet for his fans, but Kohli definitely emerges as a winner.

#4 Miss: KL Rahul

KL Rahul's World Cup dream may not come true in 2019

It looked like the controversy and the following suspension had proved to be a blessing in disguise for KL Rahul. Besides the lessons, Rahul seemed to have found his lost touch in the break.

After a fruitful time playing for India A, Rahul had come back into the Indian team and looked like the player we know him to be, playing well in the preceding T20 series. However, the team management didn’t seem too interested in having him audition for the World Cup.

He got a solitary chance in the series, playing in Mohali. Rahul scored 26 off 31 in the ODI. Now, it doesn’t look like he might be in India’s plans for the World Cup.

If he was, he should have played earlier in the series. There’s still the IPL to go, but whatever he does there, he may miss the flight to England, unless the other top-order batsmen pickup unfortunate injuries or if there are other issues.

#3 Hit: Pat Cummins

Cummins during India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

Yes, Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world at the moment, but Pat Cummins will certainly have a lot to say about it in the coming years. He has been nothing but class for the men from down under. He runs in and bowls fast. That’s all he does. And he has troubled and exposed the Indian batting order to an extent, picking quality wickets one match after another.

In this series, Cummins bagged 14 wickets, which is the joint-highest number of wickets picked by an Australian in a bilateral ODI series, along with Mitchell Johnson and Clint McKay who picked up the same number of wickets in a series in the past.

Cummins has certainly played a strong role in the rejuvenation of Australia’s bowling attack, that looks effective again, as Adam Zampa also settles into the national side.

#2 Miss: Aaron Finch

Finch and his teammates pose with the trophy; India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

Aaron Finch has had his struggles against the swinging ball, and it’s why he struggled to establish himself as a Test opener for Australia. And, if this series did anything, it worsened the case for the Australian captain. He looked vulnerable against the swinging ball yet again.

Although his tally of 157 runs in 5 matches isn't the worst by any means. However, if we take out the 93 in Ranchi, it’s a cause of concern. Especially with David Warner possibly making a return for the World Cup, it’d be interesting to see how the Aussie skipper fits in the puzzle.

However, despite his struggles on a personal front, Finch must have taken much pride in captaining his team to a surprising series victory in India. He must have gained a lot of confidence as the team’s skipper, especially because the world champions have to defend their World Cup trophy in a matter of months.

#1 Hit: Usman Khawaja

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

There’s no doubt left that many greats of the game, including Ricky Ponting, see Usman Khawaja as a player for the future and a mainstay in the Australian batting line-up in the coming years. Although, he disappointed with the bat when India toured Australia earlier this year.

However, here, Khawaja simply stood apart in this series. He had a run to remember with a 50(76) in Hyderabad, 38(37) in Nagpur, 104(113) in Ranchi, 91(99) in Chandigarh, and finally a match-winning 100(106) in Delhi to cap-off a series that might very well be a career-defining one for him in the long-run.

Australia needed him to fire, and he has come with all guns blazing. Undoubtedly, he has played a big hand in bringing Australia right back into the mix of things, as far as the World Cup is concerned.