India made some unmissable changes in their batting combination with Virat Kohli pushing himself down the order to accommodate Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI.
Aaron Finch (110*) and David Warner (128*) slammed centuries as Australia beat India by 10 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Dhawan bounced back in style to score with a valiant 74 in the series opener against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Shikhar Dhawan reached the feat during the ongoing first ODI against Australia in Mumbai.
Almost 87 per cent of Kohli's total runs and 84 per cent of his total ODI centuries have been scored at No.3 at a staggering average of 63.39. Should he still bat at No.4?
Starc has played only one ODI in India. But in his seven other appearances against the Men in Blue, he holds a strong record against the top three.
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan have shared six 100-run stands against Australia
Dhawan, who made a comeback in the T20 side in the just-concluded three-match series against Sri Lanka, was also among the runs, while Rahul, too, is having a great time with the bat.
The battle so far keeps Rahul ahead with the phenomenal form he is in since his World Cup return.
Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan gained a place each in the ICC T20I rankings for batsmen while Navdeep Saini jumped 146 places to finish 98th in the latest rankings for bowlers.
Invited to bat, India scored 201 for six before crushing Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the third T20 International to take the series 2-1 on Friday.
Shikhar Dhawan, who was making a comeback after an injury layoff, scored 32 and 52 in the two games against Sri Lanka and is not fussed about the competition.
Dhawan was under some pressure before the third T20 International and a smashing half-century will keep him in the mix for the upcoming series where Rohit Sharma will be back from his break.
Dhawan scored 52 runs en route to India's 201 for six and following the knock, the left-handed batsman revealed that the three in competition for India's opening slot for World T20 is "beautiful".
En route to India's 97-run opening partnership, Dhawan scored 52 runs off 36 deliveries with seven boundaries and a six, striking at the rate of 144.44.
Shikhar Dhawan may have the last chance to impress when India takes on Sri Lanka in the final T20I in Pune.
VVS Laxman left out MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan from his 15-member squad for the World T20 in Australia.
KL Rahul emphasized on his equation with the other two openers of Indian team - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are vying for the second opener's spot with Rohit Sharma being the first choice for the team management.
India still have good 14 international matches, besides the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and the IPL 2020 season, to lock-in on the opening partner for Rohit.
Top News
Latest News
