After a home series upset in the T20I's, there's no doubting that the visitors success would not be sitting well with Virat Kohli. Thankfully for both himself and India, the hosts have a chance to rectify their little stumble with a dominant display in the five-game ODI series kicking off tomorrow in Hyderabad. Can Australia produce yet another upset, or will India strike back with a knockout blow?

It's been a strange old start to this tour, although it's refreshing to see a side genuinely challenge the modern-powerhouses in the world on their home soil. It was a sensational series victory in the T20I's headlined by the destructive Glenn Maxwell who didn't take a backward step against the Indian attack, now he and his teammates face a whole new challenge. India's 4-1 victory in their most-recent ODI series against New Zealand overseas has given them as much confidence as the Aussies gained defeating them in the T20I series. It wasn't that long ago that both these sides faced off against each other in a ODI series in Australia, and India maintains the bragging rights after outplaying the hosts on their home turf.

The main thing Australia must focus on in this series is not to overthink things, something tells me that Aaron Finch's head is as clouded as an overcast day in the UK at the moment which isn't an ideal scenario when your team is relying on you to lead from the front. India is a prime example of playing with a clear mindset yet maintaining the ability to show positive intent, that's probably one of the reasons their batsmen have been so successful. There's no doubting that India's top order will all fire at some point in the series, all eyes will be on the insanely-consistent Virat Kohli as well as opener Rohit Sharma who is one of India's most destructive batsmen in limited overs cricket. Despite the absence of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia's pace attack is still a quality group led by Allan Border Medalist Pat Cummins. India's batting depth in this format has tested almost every International side, Kedar Jadhav bats around the No. 6 mark and averages over 43 in ODI cricket which is a concern for the visitors. With KL Rahul in good touch and the all-round talent of Ravindra Jadeja in the squad, India have a range of options at their disposal in this series.

With Australia likely to open the batting with Alex Carey and Aaron Finch, the Indian quicks will be licking their lips. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will give Finch absolutely no room to work with, cramping him up in front of the stumps has done the trick in the past. The incoming Shaun Marsh must be India's biggest focus given his subcontinent-brilliance and particularly his good form with the willow against the hosts in recent times. Not in great form himself, Usman Khawaja managed a fifty against the Indians in Sydney a couple months back but still struggles to negate spin which is a major floor in his game, on these dry, dusty wickets he'll be eaten alive. The absence of Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya could mean that Vijay Shankar plays as the third seamer alongside the two spinners, although both he and Kaul are yet to claim an ODI scalp. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to return after making an impressive start to the series in New Zealand with back-to-back four-wicket hauls, leaving Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja to fight it out for that second spinners position.

Praised for his batting heroics in the second T20I, player of the series Glenn Maxwell will be looking to further his success in the ODI's in order to justify his place in the World Cup squad. It's unlikely that Maxwell will make a move up the order despite his incredible knock in Bengaluru, but that could be a blessing in disguise given his sides tendency to collapse at the top of the order. A key factor in this series will be the impact Adam Zampa has with his leg-spin. Bowling tight spells is always handy, but Australia need wickets desperately from the 26-year-old. Zampa isn't your traditional leggy who turns the ball a mile, so he's going to have to rely on his changes in speed and wrong 'un to create the deception. Left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav has already shown what he's capable of when he gets the ball turning both ways, it's just up to Australia's batsmen to nullify his influence.

This first ODI at Hyderabad will set the scene for the rest of the series, if Australia find themselves being beaten convincingly they could be in for a bumpy ride. The deeper they can drag out the match, the better chance they have of defeating India which is easier said than done. Australia can't afford to allow the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to dictate the innings, if that happens they can just about kiss goodbye any hope they had of winning.