MS Dhoni hoped Suresh Raina would take some confidence from his attacking knock in India's defeat against New Zealand in Hamilton, going forward into the series.

The 27-year-old Raina has been a key player for India in limited overs cricket and has so far scored 29 half-centuries and three centuries from 188 ODIs at an average of 35.38. The southpaw's power hitting and brisk running between the wickets have helped India pull off several close victories.

However, poor form since the ODI series against Australia has raised several questions on one of Dhoni's most trusted lieutenants. Raina's weakness against the short ball has been exposed and with the World Cup just a year away, the team management must be getting worried about the middle-order batsman's performance.

However, Raina did come out all guns blazing in an aggressive 22-ball knock, when he creamed 35 runs and brought India close to victory with Dhoni in the second ODI against New Zealand in Hamilton. That has been reassuring enough for the Indian captain, who continued to support his Chennai teammate, despite Raina's depressing run for India with scores of 39, DNB, 17, DNB, 16, 28, 0, 23, 34, 14, 36, DNB, 18 and 35.
"Raina is someone who plays aggressive cricket but it is important to have control over your mind as to what are the areas you want to hit. If it is not there to be hit, what are the other options you have got?," said Dhoni.

"It is not like you want to try and hit something and even if is not there to be hit, you still go for a big shot."

Faced with a desperate situation, Raina attacked and almost reaped the rewards. His aggressive knock at number six could have proved fatal for New Zealand before he fell to Kyle Mills in the 37th over.

"That (picking bad deliveries to hit) was something he did particularly well in this innings. Hopefully he will gather plenty of confidence after this innings and carry on longer in this manner," said the Indian skipper.

Could this signal a prolonged outing for Raina at number six, then?

"We have to a see a few things. We cannot change opinions and strategies after one game. It was a certain kind of situation that demanded of him this particular innings. It was good," said Dhoni, as always keeping his cards close to the chest.MS Dhoni hoped Suresh Raina would take some confidence from his attacking knock in India's defeat against New Zealand in Hamilton, going forward into the series.

The 27-year-old Raina has been a key player for India in limited overs cricket and has so far scored 29 half-centuries and three centuries from 188 ODIs at an average of 35.38. The southpaw's power hitting and brisk running between the wickets have helped India pull off several close victories.

However, poor form since the ODI series against Australia has raised several questions on one of Dhoni's most trusted lieutenants. Raina's weakness against the short ball has been exposed and with the World Cup just a year away, the team management must be getting worried about the middle-order batsman's performance.

However, Raina did come out all guns blazing in an aggressive 22-ball knock, when he creamed 35 runs and brought India close to victory with Dhoni in the second ODI against New Zealand in Hamilton. That has been reassuring enough for the Indian captain, who continued to support his Chennai teammate, despite Raina's depressing run for India with scores of 39, DNB, 17, DNB, 16, 28, 0, 23, 34, 14, 36, DNB, 18 and 35.
"Raina is someone who plays aggressive cricket but it is important to have control over your mind as to what are the areas you want to hit. If it is not there to be hit, what are the other options you have got?," said Dhoni.

"It is not like you want to try and hit something and even if is not there to be hit, you still go for a big shot."

Faced with a desperate situation, Raina attacked and almost reaped the rewards. His aggressive knock at number six could have proved fatal for New Zealand before he fell to Kyle Mills in the 37th over.

"That (picking bad deliveries to hit) was something he did particularly well in this innings. Hopefully he will gather plenty of confidence after this innings and carry on longer in this manner," said the Indian skipper.

Could this signal a prolonged outing for Raina at number six, then?

"We have to a see a few things. We cannot change opinions and strategies after one game. It was a certain kind of situation that demanded of him this particular innings. It was good," said Dhoni, as always keeping his cards close to the chest.

	The grounds here have a very different shape. You are used to playing in grounds that are oval or round. As a bowler, till you don't play here it is very difficult to pinpoint the fielding position MS Dhoni

All is well with the Australian camp. They avenged the humiliation in England with a clinical 5-0 demolition of their arch-rivals in the Ashes and are now determined to make the visitors dance to their tunes in the ODI series, starting Sunday. They have already rested Mitchell Johnson while fit-again James Pattinson was not considered for the opening ODI.

Australia:Opening batsman Shaun Marsh has also been unable to win selection for Sunday's opener, with Aaron Finch likely to partner David Warner at the top of the order and Shane Watson at number three.

Pattinson was sent home from the 2013 Ashes tour with a back injury, but he has claimed seven wickets in three Big Bash League games recently.

While Australia's ODI series with England is a crucial warm-up for the 2015 World Cup to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, it's also a chance for players like Pattinson to audition for a spot in the Test squad to tour South Africa in late January.

Clarke has said Australia would take winning momentum into the ODI series, but that would come from Australia's 2-1 ODI series win in England in September rather than their recent five-nil Ashes whitewash.

Australia are rated second in ODI cricket behind India, with England at three.

Key Players:Watch out for David Warner, who was outstanding in the Ashes and promises to make 2014 his year after a tumultuous 2013. Also eager to impress would be George Bailey, who after his roaring success in the ODIs against India, was Australia's weakest link in the Test series. This could well be his last chance to impress the selectors before Australia's much anticipated tour of South Africa next month.

England:England go into the opening one-day international in Melbourne on Sunday desperate to salvage some pride, but face a torrid task with a fired-up Australia vowing no let-up after dominating the Ashes.

The series could see either team reclaim the number one limited-overs world ranking, depending on how India fare when they face New Zealand in a five-match series that begins in Napier on January 19.

A rattled England head into the series without the experience of Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson, who have both been rested, with Cook leading a team that has much to prove.

Former left-arm spinner Ashley Giles has taken over from Flower as the one-day coach, assuming responsibility with Cook for repairing some of the damage inflicted by Australia.

Only all-rounder Ben Stokes and paceman Stuart Broad came out of the Ashes with a semblance of pride, leaving the door open for the likes of Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bopara and Chris Woakes to stake their claims in the one-day format.

Broad will be rested for the matches in Melbourne and Brisbane - as well as a tour game in Canberra in between - to allow him time to recover from the Test series, an England and Wales Cricket Board spokeswoman confirmed to Press Association Sport.

Key Players: Much maligned and criticised, Cook will want to show he is the right man to lead England in this rather difficult phase. The southpaw struggled against Johnson's raw pace and he will be relived that his tormentor will not feature in the season opener.

When you strip everything down, every single player has to go back and have a look at themselves, have a look at their techniques. Have a look at the way they've bowled and start rebuilding again.And that hunger has to come from within to do it. - Alastair Cook, England captain

This is an important series because we will be playing in the same facilities that we will play the World Cup in, the same pitches, and against an opposition that is going to play a huge role. - Michael Clarke, Australia captain

Stats: 270: The number of runs Michael Clarke needs to surpass Ricky Ponting as the top run-scorer against England in ODIs. He currently has 1328 runs against them at an average of 45.79.

36: The number of wickets Shane Watson and James Anderson have taken in Australia - England ODIs. They are currently joint third on the list of top wicket-takers in Australia - England ODIs.

3: Number of catches Michael Clarke requires to become the sixth Australian with 100 or more catches in ODIs.

Teams:

Australia (From):David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke(c), George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin(w), James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson

England (From): Alastair Cook(c), Ian Bell, Joe Root, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Tim Bresnan, Chris Jordan, James Tredwell, Boyd Rankin, Gary Ballance, Danny Briggs, Stuart Broad, Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, Chris Woakes

A new day, but another failure. The comeback road, as Yuvraj Singh is finding out, isn’t that easy after all.
Dropped from the one-day international side for the tour of New Zealand, beginning 19 January, after a sting of low scores, Punjab’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final tie against Jammu and Kashmir at Baroda was a good chance for Yuvraj to come up with a strong showing. But that was not to be as his indifferent form continued. Watched by Central Zone selector Rajinder Singh Hans, the left-handed batsman was dismissed for 10 during an uneasy 19-ball stay at the crease on Wednesday.
In his earlier three appearances for Punjab this season, Yuvraj managed scores of 33, 40, 0, 4 and 39 for an overall average of 23.20. This latest failure only seems to have compounded the problems for a batsman who had created more than just a splash upon his comeback in the Indian side in October with a match-winning unbeaten 77 off only 35 balls in a T20 match against Australia at Rajkot.
So what seems to be the problem for Yuvraj, the Man-of-the-Series during India’s 2011 World Cup campaign? Former India opener Akash Chopra says, “While there are some grey areas for Yuvraj at the international level, it is really difficult to explain his inability to score runs at the domestic level. There aren’t too many bowlers who can trouble a batsman of Yuvraj’s class on a consistent basis.”
Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman explained how the mind can play tricks with experienced campaigners like Yuvraj. “Beyond a certain stage, it’s all in the mind. Sometimes, when you have to play at a lesser level (in domestic cricket) than what you have been playing for a long time, it’s difficult to motivate yourself. You don’t find the bowlers challenging enough. As a result, the best performance is not always forthcoming,” he says over the phone.
Post the high of his Man-of-the-Match showing at Rajkot, it has been downhill for Yuvraj. First, Mitchell Johnson and Co. ruthlessly exposed his weakness against the short ball in the ODI series against Australia (19 runs from six games at an average of 4.75). While the three-match ODI series against West Indies saw him return to a semblance of form (99 runs from three games, including a half-century, at an average of 49.50), Sunil Narine exposed his weakness against spin.
More misery was in store for him in the short ODI series in South Africa last month. The southpaw was dismissed for a second-ball duck in the first ODI at Johannesburg. Having missed the second ODI at Durban due to back spasms, he did not get a chance to bat in the third ODI at Centurion after thunderstorms brought a premature close to the game.
With the 2015 World Cup just a year away, the consensus is on building a young Indian side in the 50-over format. Chopra feels all is not lost for the 293-ODI veteran yet. “Yuvraj is a match-winner on any given day. When in form, he can change the fortunes of the game in a space of a few overs as we saw during that innings at Rajkot. So he still has a lot to offer to the Indian side. The IPL (Indian Premier League) is a perfect opportunity for him to make a comeback in the team. We have seen how players like Johnson have successfully come back into international cricket via the IPL,” he says.
Yuvraj’s record in this tournament isn’t inspiring either. In 70 IPL appearances, the southpaw has managed to score 1475 runs at a strike-rate of 130.76, which is well below his T20 international strike rate of 153.08. He has only five IPL fifties, whereas in 34 T20 internationals, Yuvraj has already scored seven half-centuries.
“Yuvraj has no other option but to perform well in the IPL to make a comeback in the ODI side,” says Chopra. “The selectors and team-management will not want to tinker with the side three or four months before a big tournament like the World Cup. I feel the IPL will be his last chance.”