Five things to look forward to in the India-Australia series

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will helm a new-look side for the Australia seriesA new year always brings something different with it. There is a period of new hopes, newer dreams and plans for improvement. A fresh outlook is also a key ingredient of a nascent year.India's limited-overs teams, chosen for ODIs and Twenty20 internationals in Australia, have the licence to embark on the tour without the baggage from the last six or seven months. Starting over is hard to do, especially when the opponent is in form and even more dangerous at home. But, it can be done.For all the hype surrounding the tour, it is easy to forget that this is just another set of games between two champion sides. On paper, both ODI squads are evenly matched. Given that the kind of tracks used during the 2015 World Cup  favoured bat and ball alike, it is widely expected that this series will live up to expectations.Here is a list of five things that we can look forward to as the ODI leg kicks off on January 12, 2016:

#1 Replacing Suresh Raina

Gurkeerat Mann is widely touted to be Raina’s middle-order replacement

As a matter of personal opinion, I think the decision to drop Suresh Raina from the 50-over side is a good one. Despite the immense amount of skill the UP batsman possesses, his form and performances dipped during the past year. Having said that, his quicksilver fielding and tidy bowling will certainly be missed by the team.

The logic of having a replacement player makes good cricketing sense if the skillset is equivalent. In that respect, Punjab all-rounder Gurkeerat Mann should make the cut. He has already displayed his abilities at various levels (India A, Ranji Trophy and the Indian Premier League), and the fact that he can be more than a handy bowler adds more muscle to his selection chances.

I see him batting at No. 6, a step ahead of the spin bowling all rounder (be it Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel). It will be interesting to see how he squares off against Josh Hazlewood and Co. While Manish Pandey also has a chance of a look-in, it is the 25-year-old cricketer from Muktsar who has a clear edge. Problem of plenty for India!