India's historic ODI series win in Australia: Marksheet of Virat Kohli and his boys

In all the three ODIs, the pressure added on the middle-order batsmen because Shikhar Dhawan failed to support his batting Rohit Sharma and give India the required starts. Dhawan's scores read as 0, 32, 23 in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. In the first match, India fell short by 34 runs; and Dhawan's duck there cannot be ignored. Even in the next two games, the senior batsmen failed to convert his starts into any significant knock. He has been given some points for his agile and excellent fielding in the series. 

Meanwhile, Rohit scored a hundred in the first match but that turned out to be in a losing cause. In the next game, like Dhawan, he did not convert his start into something as he was dismissed for 43 while playing his favouite pull shot. PC: AFP

After a poor outing in the first ODI, Kohli made it up with the bat in the second match as he recorded his 39th ODI ton and was the Player of the Match as India won the game by six wickets. For the third time in three games, it was the young pacer Jhye Richardson who dismissed Kohli in the finale game at the MCG.

Apart from 153 runs at an average of 51, the skipper must be credited for his captaincy - apt bowling changes, brave team selections and clever field placements. PC: AFP
 

After Ambati Rayudu's failure at No. 4 in the opening game, Dhoni came out to bat at No. 4 in the next two matches. Dhoni, who failed to score a fifty from 13 innings last year, already has three half-centuries in three ODIs in 2019. Dhoni rekindled his love affair with match-finishing as he remained unbeaten in the final two games which India won.

He was also the Player of the Series for his excelent job with the bat and also as a wicketkeeper and guide for the young bowlers. PC: AFP

Struggling Rayudu, who was played in the first two matches, has received massive criticism for his overseas performances. His scores read duck and 24. Neither was he fragile on the field not made crucial contributions with the bat. Even former skipper Ganguly has raised questions about his position.

Whereas, Jadhav, who was ignored for Rayudu, pounched on the first chance he received in the finale match. He built a match-winning unbeatn stand with Dhoni to ensure India crossed the line. He even bowled six overs and was not very expensive. PC: PTI

Since Dhoni was there, Karthik played as a full-time batsman. Out of the three ODIs, Karthik batted only twice. In the first game, he managed only 12 off 21 balls before he stuck with Dhoni till the end in the do or die second match and helped India win by six wickets. He even took a crucial catch of Glenn Maxwell, who had begun to charge against the Indian bowlers in the Sydney match. Had Karthik dropped that, Australia would have scored 300-plus and India's chase would have gotten tougher. PC: DK Instagram

Jadeja, who had a great outing in the whites last month, did not replicate that in the ODI series. While he batted only once (8 off 13), he managed only two wickets in the three matches. A lot more is expected of him if he wants to seal a place in the XI for the upcoming World Cup. PC: AFP

Since he warmed the bench in the Test series, it took a while before Bhuvi delivered. So, apart from the first match, Bhuvi performed his role well with the ball in the rest of the series. He finished as the leading wicket-taker with 8 scalps including one four-for. PC: PTI

Kuldeep, who is India's No. 1 choice in the ODIs usually, picked just two wickets in the first two matches. Since he is a chinaman bowler, he is preferred over leg-spinner Yuzi. But, Kohli didn't want to be predictable in the deicder match and hence he picked Yuzi ahead of Kuldeep and that move worked like wonders for the tourists. 

The 28-year-old Yuzi playing his very first match in the tour poucned on the lone opportunity as he became the very first spinner to claim a six-wicket haul in an ODI Down Under. While these two are sure shots in India's World Cup squad, they'll have to fight out for a place in the XI in pace-friendly conditions in England. PC: AFP

Siraj, Ahmed and Shankar made their ODI debuts in this series but, none of them made any impact. In fact, Siraj on debut ended up with second most expensive figures in the 50-format. PC: AFP/PTI
 

Shami finished as the fourth highest wicket-taker of the series with five scalps to his name, one less than Yuzi, who played just one match. After going wicket-less in the opening match, Shami picked three and two wickets respectively in the next two matches. Moreover, he ensured his  ecomy  was less than five in most of the occasions and that would have helped India considering there were a  cpuple  of bowlers who leaked runs in all the matches. PC: PTI