Daijiworld Media Network

Pune, Oct 13 : After winning the sole T20 match against Australia on Thursday, India is now all set to retain its No 1 position in ODI ranking, facing Australia in seven ODIs.

The seven-match series is set to start in Pune on a confident note as all the top order batsmen and bowlers are fit to play.

Except for losing 1-2 to Pakistan earlier this year in a three match series, India has kept its winning streak alive, specially with its tremendous performance in Champions Trophy and later by winning a tri-series involving West Indies and Sri Lanka. Australian team looks relatively weaker without some star palyers like Clarke, Hussey and others.

The Indian team has a new look, playing without Tendulkar, Zaheer, Gambhir, and Sehwag. But new players like Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have already made their mark in ODIs. With Kohli, Raina, and in-form batsman Yuvraj, the Indian batting order looks solid.

But India have some worries in the bowling line-up. Ishant Sharma and Ashwin could not do well in the just concluded T20. Both proved expensive. But Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Vinya Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja made their usual impact in bowling department.

Like in T20, Shami, Unatkad and Amit Mishra will be sitting out.

Currently, India ranks No 1 in ODI list, while Australia is in the second spot. If Australia has to climb to the top, it has to beat India by 6-1, which is highly unlikely. Even Austalian captain Rob Bailey expressed doubts about beating India 6-1 in its own pitches. "If we beat India 6-1 here it will be miracle, but we will concentrate on each match at a time rather than aiming at beating India 6-1 at this moment," Bailey said.

On the other hand, Indian captain Dhoni has warned bowlers to be accurate and try their best to contain the Aussie batsmen. According to Dhoni, Aussies can bat up to No 9.