India vs Australia: Number 4 issue resolved, stats reveal newer, bigger problem for India in ODIs

Ind vs Aus: India need Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja to do much better in the upcoming series against Australia as all the three matches are being played on absolute flat tracks

Shreyas Iyer has come in and has given a great account of himself at the number 4 position and while this has sorted India’s long-standing concern, there is another area that needs to be looked at as far as the planning goes in One Day Internationals. It is a well-documented fact that this Indian team is hugely dependent on the top order and that, their success more often than not translates into wins.

India's Ravindra Jadeja (AP)

However, the relative weakness of the lower order is quite glaring, it has been so for a while now. There is no MS Dhoni in the mix and Hardik Pandya is still recovering which makes this problem extremely complicated - one that could bite India in the upcoming series against Australia.

Before we delve further into the issue, we take a look at the bare numbers:

The combined strike rate of India’s No. 6 and below since January 2019 stands at 91.47 and this sixth on the list. It is way below Pakistan (104.95), Australia (104.64), West Indies (96.57), England (96.16) and New Zealand (95.68).

India need Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja to do much better in the upcoming series against Australia as all the three matches are being played on absolute flat tracks where there will be a need to post big scores and hence, the contribution of the lower order will hold the key.

Jadhav has to step up, more so because he has not been bowling in the recent series. For batsmen who have played a minimum of ten innings at number 6 or lower, Kedar Jadhav’s strike rate reads 91.57 (since January 2019) which is just not good enough when the final push is required.

Watch: India, Australia prepare for 3-match ODI series