Questions remain over India's T20 finishers

Even before the 3-0 sweep in Australia, India were one of the favourites for the World T20 at home. More so after the return of Ravindra Jadeja to a stock of spinners that has had success in the subcontinent, and the accidental discovery of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah - MS Dhoni is impressed by him, and he rarely expresses his being impressed in public. The team management feel like things are falling in place leading up to the tournament in March.

What have India learnt about themselves in Australia that they didn't already know, though? The big question that faced them before that series remains - who bats at nos. 5, 6 and 7?

In the top four, only Shikhar Dhawan - no international fifties and a career T20 strike rate of 120 - is an uncertainty; Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina select themselves. The only match in Australia that India came close to losing was because that lower-middle order was asked to do the work under pressure.

After having struggled with the likes of Ambati Rayudu in the past, India roped in a youngster and a veteran in Hardik Pandya and Yuvraj Singh into the T20 middle order. The advantage they brought was their part-time bowling, which they did well - Yuvraj more than Pandya - but they did not get tested with the bat. Yuvraj got over the line after getting into strife, which will give him confidence, but India can't be sure if he has still got it. Pandya didn't get a chance to bat.

Dhoni has said time and again that it is not an easy job to come in and immediately play according to the situation. He is part of the smaller team that will be given this responsibility. While he was happy with the results, he will be mindful that he can't trust Yuvraj and Pandya yet to be the men to do that job.

Virat Kohli's being rested for the three Twenty20s against Sri Lanka has given Dhoni another option to look at. Manish Pandey began India's turnaround with that hundred in the final match of the ODI series in Australia, and now Dhoni can take a look at him in the shortest format too. Pandey has scored a 90 in an IPL final before. However, he is more of a top-order batsman and doesn't bowl, which means if he has to break through he might have to do so in Dhawan's place, for which Ajinkya Rahane is already a contender.

While Dhoni and India will deservedly celebrate a rare whitewash of Australia in Australia, over the next seven international Twenty20 matches and a possible final at the Asia Cup, they will need to look at and lock in the two big hitters they want. Yuvraj and Pandya remain the frontrunners, and Dhoni will hope to see positive signs from them in pressure situations before the World T20 starts. Other than that India seem to have bases covered thanks to the awesome form of the top order and the spinners R Ashwin and Jadeja.