Tri-Series: Rain Gods Offer India Lifeline, Can Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co. Take it?

Incessant rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground came as a blessing in disguise for Team India. The two points earned after the washout against Australia on Monday have left winless Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team floating in the tri-nation series.

The result did not just give India their first points of the series but also a better shot at making it to the final. India (2 points) now face England (5 points) on Friday in what will be a knockout. With Australia already in the title round, factors like 'Bonus Points' and 'Net Run Rate' are out of the equation.

India lost their first two fixtures of the series and were in precarious position on Monday before rain put in a rescue act. If India's bowling came in a lot of flak during the Test series, the famous batting is not living up to its reputation.

Here are some of the dilemmas that Team India faces ahead of the crucial England clash:

1. The openers' conundrum

Shikhar Dhawan's abysmal form at the top of the batting order poses one of the biggest headaches for Dhoni. The aggressive left-handed opener has managed three single-digit scores in the series so far and is showing signs of technical ineptitude in testing conditions Down Under. Rohit Sharma's hamstring injury has added to the problems. If he is fit for Friday, does he come in for Dhawan? Or should India persist with the left-hander and give him another chance before the World Cup?

2. The Great Virat Kohli Debate

India's man of the moment, Virat Kohli is in the middle of a massive debate. Should India's best batsman bat at No. 3 or 4? Experts all over the world seem to be divided. Some insist he is best-suited to anchor the innings and lay the platform for a big total at no. 3 while some suggest he needs to be Indian batting line-up's backbone at No. 4. If he bats at four, who can India trust with the all-important No. 3 slot? Is Ambati Rayudu at one-down the way forward? Or will Rohit return on time to push Rahane down to No. 3?

3. Three all-rounders the way forward?

On Monday at Sydney, India fielded three all-rounders -- Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Stuart Binny. Though they didn't get a chance to be tested, was this combination a mere experiment or a sign of things to come? Dhoni's love for slow bowlers who can control the game in the middle overs in ODIs is well-documented. In his brief career so far, Axar has been impressive at drying up the runs and building pressure on the batsmen. Dhoni is also known to be a big fan of playing Jadeja across formats and conditions. But will that strategy work on the pacer-friendly wicket at Perth?  

4. Ishant Sharma's fitness and pace bowling combination?

India's biggest area of concern is their misfiring pace-bowling department. None from the Indian pace troika of Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have managed to create an impact like their Australian and English counterparts Mitchell Starc or Steven Finn, who have 12 and 7 wickets, respectively, in the series so far. Dhoni turned to Ishant Sharma for the Sydney ODI but he too will be without essential match practice when India take on England in the knockout game.

The pressure will be on the lanky Indian pacer, who according to former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, can be a liability for the team in the World Cup. To pick between an erratic Umesh Yadav, an inconsistent Mohammed Shami, an ineffective Bhuvneshwar Kumar and an under-cooked Ishant Sharma, Dhoni has a few problems up his sleeve.