India went into the series decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with three changes to the final XI - and hence a rejig to their batting combinations. Yet, Virat Kohli appeared to be hinting at one particular line-up that he felt brought the most amount of balance - the one that was used in the second ODI in Adelaide with a four-five-six-seven of Ambati Rayu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja. This opinion of Kohli is also bearing in mind that the team is currently without their only big-hitting all-rounder in Hardik Pandya.
INDIA TOUR OF AUSTRALIA, 2018-19
Kohli sways in favour of Adelaide ODI combination
He is one of the most intelligent cricketers and he is not someone who is not aware about what needs to be done -- Kohli on Dhoni. © Getty
While the No.4 spot has haunted India for quite some time until Rayudu was picked based on his IPL exploits last year, there have also been questions regarding which spot in that middle-order suits MS Dhoni the best, at a time when the former captain seems to be losing some of his big-hitting powers.
There was even a suggestion, including from Rohit Sharma, that Dhoni could perhaps take up the spot at two-drop - one which he vyied for in 2016 - but Kohli reckons No.5 as the most ideal one. For his part,
