After clinching the first ODI, albeit after encountering few stutters along the way, the Indian side would be keen to iron out the few chinks in the armour which may have crept in the arsenal. The form of the top order needs to be sorted as well as controlling the middle phase with the ball needs attention.
Australia are more than capable of a revival and this where Virat Kohli and boys need to be wary. Historically, Nagpur has been a batting paradise and high-scoring games have been the norm. 354/7 is the highest score on the ground which was posted by India against Australia back in 2009.
For India, the biggest plus has been the resurgence of MS Dhoni. The veteran has now scored 4 consecutive 50s in ODIs against Australia and is getting ever closer to being at his best. He now has 1600 ODI runs against Australia which makes him 3rd highest run-scorer against them. Also, with 13 fifty plus scores against the Aussies, he is only behind Sachin Tendulkar.
The seasoned campaigner is a different beast in Nagpur - he has peeled off 268 runs in 5 games which is the most by any batsman at the venue. Virat Kohli, with 209 runs, is the second on the list.
He now needs 33 more runs to complete 17,000 runs across formats and will be the 6th player to achieve this feat.
Form of Kedar Jadhav is a massive boost for India
Perhaps, the biggest positive for India has been the form of Kedar Jadhav. The diminutive player continues to grow in stature in the team and now with his ability to roll the arm over, has become indispensable to Virat Kohli's scheme of things.
In 5 innings this year, he has been involved 4 fifty plus stands and India have won all the games. Jadhav's average of 65.36 is the best by a batsman at number 6 in ODIs (for a minimum of 500 runs) and has more or less booked his berth for that coveted World Cup squad. India's winning percentage shoots up to 73% whenever Jadhav is involved in a partnership of more than 50.
As has been the norm in ODI cricket, the team chasing has won more matches, and Nagpur is no different - 6 out of 8 previous ODIs at this venue have been won by the team batting second.
India have dominated Australia at home, they have won 7 of the last 8 ODIs between the two sides in India. Australia's record in Nagpur is quite bleak, they have not won anything in their last 3 appearances.
Australia cannot afford Virat Kohli to reach 50, for the Indian captain has converted each of his last 5 ODI fifties to centuries at home.
India's opening partnership, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, need 73 runs to complete 1000 runs for the opening wicket vs Australia in ODIs. Rohit himself needs 66 runs to score 3000 runs in ODIs in India.
