Nagpur, Oct. 26: For much of the first one-dayer in Baroda, the Indian team did not deserve to end winners. And rightly so as Australia managed to scrape to a thrilling four-run win to go one up in the seven-match ODI series.

If not for a ferocious 84-run stand between Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar for the eighth wicket, the margin of victory would have been bigger. It was that kind of effort from the Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the series.

Their batting looked tattered, their fielding abysmal as always and the bowling lacked substance on a dry pitch. Rewind to 2007, when Aussies last visited India for a seven-match ODI series, the Indians were swept away 4-2 with one game being washed out.

Cut to 2009 — if the hosts aim to bounce back they ought to do it quickly as any slip-up from here will push them out of the series contention.

While bowling has never been India’s strong hand, it’s their batting that been the backbone in the one-dayers. But in Yuvraj Singh’s absence the middle-order has looked shaky, putting a lot more emphasis on the top three.

Having said that, Dhoni will be pleased with the return of Yuvraj, who was declared fit by the skipper for the second ODI in Nagpur on Wednesday. If anything, the big-hitting left-hander’s return will strengthen the lower-order and allow Dhoni to play at his usual No. 6 position. Yuvraj’s spin can also come in handy, an option that India sorely missed in the first one-dayer, with Harbhajan’s woeful form continuing. But it remains to be seen if Yuvraj will be rushed to bowl, considering he is returning from a finger injury to his bowing hand.

That Yuvraj as a batsman can be lethal is an understatement. Once the explosive Virender Sehwag is dismissed, it becomes difficult to up the scoring ante and in Yuvraj, India have a weapon, who can be destructive in the batting Power Play, usually taken in the end overs.

Harbhajan’s form is also a concern. Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting had predicted that his team’s fortune on their whistle-stop tour depends on how well his inexperienced batsmen tackle Harbhajan and going by his recent form, that doesn’t look like difficult hurdle.

The off-spinner has failed to strike a testing length after his five-wicket haul in the final of the tri-series in Sri Lanka early last month. On Sunday, after leaking 57 runs in 10 overs for just one wicket, Harbhajan came back strongly with the bat, but a good show with ball is what India really need from the 29-year-old.

For India, if they entertain thoughts of winning the series, it’s these two feisty men from Punjab who will have lead from the front.