India vs Australia 2019: Looking at the positives for India from an otherwise disappointing series loss
Fans of the Indian cricket team have been spoiled in the past decade or so with the team's glorious performances post the debacle of the 2007 World Cup. The players have inculcated a seemingly flawless team spirit and a kind of siege mentality that formed the cornerstone of Sir Alex Ferguson's epic reign at Manchester United.
The importance of this mentality cannot be overstated, especially because of the prevalence of such a fickle media in both English football as well as Indian cricket. The treatment of legends of the game like MS Dhoni by the Indian media has been nothing short of abhorrent at times.
But now the Indian team has lost the ODI series to Australia seemingly out of nowhere, and questions are being asked of the team's discipline. But as they say, every threat is an opportunity, and following are certain upsides to the seemingly crushing series loss against Australia:
1. Presence of Dhoni in World Cup 2019
There seem to be no doubts on the inside with regard to the significance of Dhoni playing in the 11. But the last 2 ODIs made it abundantly clear to everyone on the outside as well.
The subtle and key role that Dhoni plays in each ODI cannot be overstated. We should all just get a lounger and cherish the legend at work, until he decides to shock us with the announcement of hanging up his boots.
2. Form of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar can seemingly do no wrong at the moment, and their presence will be as important as anyone for India to successfully reclaim the World Cup in England. A special mention for Bumrah here, as I believe he might actually be able to live up to his words in the viral IPL advertisement, and scalp the wicket of Virat Kohli with ease in case Kohli does decide to take him on.
3. Ravindra Jadeja's bowling
One can safely conclude that the pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal seem to have lost their Midas touch in this series. But Ravindra Jadeja stepped up as a bowler in every match he played, with an outstanding economy rate.
His knack of picking up crucial wickets could hold him in good stead for selection to the World Cup squad.
4. A fresh Hardik Pandya for the World Cup
While Vijay Shankar didn't exactly squander his opportunities, he did not leave an indelible mark either for the fans or selectors to stand up and pay attention either. This reinforces the importance of Hardik Pandya as far as balance of the side is concerned.
With his apparent change of mindset post the setback of the 'Koffee conversation', the IPL can be Pandya's perfect warm-up before the World Cup 2019. He has the potential and the opportunity to replicate Yuvraj Singh's heroics back in 2011, and redeem himself at the biggest stage.
5. A humbling experience
One school of thought is that a win in this series would have been positive for the team's momentum, being the last ODI before the World Cup. Another equally appealing perspective is that a series loss can now function as a warning against complacency.
Whatever the case, this result is reason enough to regroup, and will invigorate every player to stretch themselves to the brink for the World Cup.