India vs Australia 2020-21, ODI Report Card: India were outplayed

India faced off against Australia in a three-match One-Day International series, which they ended up losing 1-2. India were notable for their poor outing with the ball, while it was their batting that outsmarted the Aussie bowlers.

India are coming off a lacklustre performance in the just concluded One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia, as they ended up losing it 1-2. This was India's first ODI series in the prevailing pandemic era, in nine months, as they failed to get off to a winning start.

India were outplayed, especially by the Australian batsmen, as the former's bowling attack was hammered all over the park in the opening two ODIs at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Nonetheless, India did bounce back strong in the final ODI, in Canberra.

As India mage to finish things on a high, we take a look at their performance and review it in every department, besides analysing what could have they done better.

Batting: This was the very department where India unexpectedly performed well, despite missing out on the services of senior opener Rohit Sharma. Nonetheless, it was skipper Virat Kohli, who was the top performer, scoring 173 in three innings at an average of 57.66, followed by Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill. But, the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Mayank Agarwal heavily underperformed.
Top performers: Kohli, Dhawan and Gill.

All-rounders: Another department that fared well, especially with the bat. It was Hardik Pandya, who stole the show with his prolific batting, scoring the most runs for the side, 210 in three innings at a Bradmansque average of 105.00, including a couple of half-centuries. As for his bowling, he managed to bowl just four overs and claim 1/24. He was followed by Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 115 runs in three innings at an average of 57.50. However, he was not as impressive with the ball, claiming 1/185 at an economy of 6.16.
Top performers: Pandya and Jadeja.

Wicketkeeper: The department was headed by one and only, KL Rahul, who scored just 93 from the three innings at an average of only 31. As for his wicketkeeping, he was involved in five dismissals, the best by any keeper in the series. Meanwhile, his partner, Sanju Samson, did not get a game.
Top performer: Rahul

Spinners: The department heavily underperformed in this series. With two specialist spinners in the side, the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav could barely fire with the ball. Both managed to claim a wicket each, while Chahal was the most expensive one, despite coming off a brilliant season in the IPL.
Top performers: None

Pacers: Among the pacers, it was Mohammed Shami, whose terrorising seam allowed him to claim 4/132 at an economy of 6.94. He was followed by Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, while the former was only able to fire in the final ODI, claiming 4/195. T Natarajan, who made his debut in the final ODI, finished with figures of 2/70, in what was a decent debut.
Top performers: Shami

Fielding: The department was once again headed by Dhawan, who arguably has the safest hands in the field, as he claimed three catches in the series. Meanwhile, Jadeja claimed a couple from the same.
Top performers: Dhawan

What could have they done better?
Bowling: Clearly, it was the only department they lagged big time. Also, giving chances to Shardul and Natarajan in the second ODI itself could have tested their strength, as the pacers were turning out to be effective on the tracks of Sydney.
Batting: While most of the batting was impressive, sticking to Mayank as an opener throughout was a bad idea, as giving Manish Pandey a game, who is a limited-overs specialist, might have done the trick.