Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 1: India has to play 5 ODI matches against Australia before the start of the World Cup. These 5 matches will be crucial for some players who want to cement their spot in the Indian team for the upcoming World Cup.

Here are some of the players whose performance in the India-Australia ODI series will be keenly watched for the upcoming World Cup.

1- Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant has earned quite a popularity for himself in Australia in a very short span of time. He is certainly one of the key players whom theselectors would be keenly watching in the upcoming series against Australia. Karthik has been dropped for the series against Australia so Pant has the perfect opportunity to show his calibre to the selectors. Rishabh made an aggressive century in Australia in one of the Test matches. Some cricket analysts consider him as a key player in the T20 and ODI format. He surely has the talent and the aggression required for playing in the lower middle order of Indian batting line-up.

2- Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar has the opportunity to show to the selectors that he can add great value in the Indian World Cup squad. Shankar’s utility for India isboth with the bat and the ball. Vijay Shankar has an impressive average of 37.3 in one-day matches and has an impressive strike rate of 91.2. He has an economy rate of 4.98 with the ball. Shankar’s stats with the bat and the ball potentially make him a valuable inclusion in the Indian line-up. Hardik Pandya has still not recovered from his injury so Shankar has a great opportunity to show his worth to the selectors in the India-Australia ODI series starting tomorrow. Shankar can also play the role of the 4th seamer in the team.

3 - KL Rahul

KL Rahul had a difficult time in Australia in the Test matches as an opener but he has again shown his worth in just concluded T20 matches against Australia with scores of 50 and 47. He surely is a great talent and an aggressive player. If he continues with the form which he showed in the T-20 matches against Australia, he will surely be a great prospect for the World Cup. India has already 2 openers with a wonderful record as ODI openers. Rahul can still be in the team as the 3rd opener. He can surely be included in the playing 11 in case Rohit or Dhawan are unable to play for any reason.