Problems aplenty for India

The specialist batsmen failing to get going and the bowlers inability to change pace, are two key areas that cost India the match, according to Sourav Ganguly. Read his column in the Times of India.

Prem Panicker shares that view, and writes on his blog Smoke Signals that Ishant Sharma must take the new ball ahead of Praveen. Panicker also writes that perhaps it is time for Sachin Tendulkar to bat at No. 3, and let Gautam Gambhir take over the opening slot.

if the brief for SRT — or more likely, the brief he has prescribed for himself — is to bat long, he needs to come in at number three, ceding the opening slot to Gautam Gambhir, who works well with Sehwag, is tuned to turning the strike over rapidly, and is temperamentally tuned to using the power play overs to optimum. One of the odd faults of SRT, among many good qualities, is his insistence on picking his slot in the batting order; IMHO, that will need to change if the team is to fire as a batting unit.

Given their performance in the series opener, India will have to field better if they are to have any chances against Australia, writes Ravi Shastri in the Hindustan Times.

With an international calendar so packed that players are literally going from one tournament or series into another without time to catch their breath, the needle is slowly being eroded. Anand Vasu in his blog on the Hindustan Times website feels there is no bite to the ODI series between India and Australia this time around.