Australia vs India, 5th ODI: 5 talking points
The victorious Australian squad with the VB Series trophyAfter Australia posted a huge total of 330 in 50 overs, it seemed like the Indian chase ended after the fall of wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. However, what Australia did not expect was a batting masterclass from Manish Pandey, with another exceptional innings from Rohit Sharma and some support at the end from captain, MS Dhoni.Indian batsmen have performed well throughout the whole series and this will definitely be a huge positive for the Indian management as they prepare for the upcoming World T20 at home. But, the bowling performance has been poor to say the least, with death-bowling problems continuing to worry India.Ravindra Jadeja was, arguably, India's best bowler in the series. Although he picked up only three wickets in the series, his economy of 5.35 is nothing short of commendable following the fact that almost all matches had more than 300 runs scored in each innings.Rohit Sharma has started off 2016 on a great note and looks set to beat his run tally from 2015 if he continues playing the way he has. Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan have also put in great performances with the bat which are great signs for India.Here are the five talking points from the fifth and final ODI:
#1 Manish Pandey - India\'s new finisher?
Many people criticised the Indian team management after Manish Pandey was dropped after the first two ODIs, not having got a proper chance to showcase his talents. After sitting out for the third and fourth ODIs, Pandey came back into the side after an unfortunate injury ruled out Ajinkya Rahane.
And, what a return to the Indian side for Pandey as he took India home playing a wonderful knock of 104* off just 81 balls to bring up his maiden ODI hundred as well.
Having come to bat in at No. 4, Pandey looked assured from the very first ball. He put away the bad balls with disdain and ran between the wickets very well. He played the big shots when they were required and did not take any unwanted risks.
His partnerships with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni were game-changers as they took India to the mammoth target set by Australia. As both Rohit and Dhoni fell, he stayed there until the very end and made sure there were no surprises and won the game, taking only calculated risks.
In essence, Pandey's innings displayed perfectly what a finisher should do – take his time team out of a troublesome situation and stick around until the very end to lead his side to a win.
This could be the start of a new beginning for Indian limited-overs cricket as their search for a replacement for ‘Dhoni, the finisher’ goes on. If Pandey can build on his new start to his career, it could be turn out to be crucial for India, having such a talented player in the middle-order.