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Talking tactics: With three top-ten batsmen, India can look to out-bat world champions Australia

India will enter the five-match Australia One-Day International series with three top-ten batsmen in their ranks. This figure augurs well for the visiting team especially considering the fact that Australia are expected to field an inexperienced bowling unit, pretty much like India.

Talking tactics: With three top-ten batsmen, India can look to out-bat world champions Australia

New Delhi: India will enter the five-match Australia One-Day International series with three top-ten batsmen in their ranks. This figure augurs well for the visiting team especially considering the fact that Australia are expected to field an inexperienced bowling unit, pretty much like India.

Talented and certainly one of the best batsmen in the world Virat Kohli, who is second in the ICC ranking, is the highest-ranked batsman from either side. His presence in the middle will intimidate any side, let alone the Australians at their own den.

Then, there is Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The undisputed best finisher in the game. And despite a lackluster outing in the series against South Africa, the sixth-ranked batsman will utilise this series as his revival tour for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 in India.

Another batsman who is rearing to go and prove the detractors wrong in Australia is opener Shikhar Dhawan. His role in the team, sa stated by Team Director Ravi Shastri, is limited. But when it comes to scoring runs, questioning Dhawan's will is unjustified.

He too failed in the South Africa series. But the seventh-ranked batsman can do series damage.

Besides, the Indian team has some of the most talented batsmen in the world. And nobody will doubt the talent that a certain Rohit Sharma carries. His overseas record is poor, but the Mumbai batsman has the wherewithal to demolish any attack. These stars will we be joined by the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey and Gurkeerat Singh Mann.

Like the Indians, Australia too have an indomitable batting line-up. However, skipper Steven Smith will need a suitable replacement for David Warner, who is all but confirmed to miss majority of the series to present by his wife when their second child arrives.

Batsmen like Aaron Finch (14th), George Bailey (15th) and James Faulkner (30th) are all dangerous, but they are prone to inconsistency.

Just like the 2015 World Cup Down Under, this series will be about batsmen. And India can hope to out-bat Australia. For that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will need his star batsmen to produce a series of match winning knocks.