Three Indians who can utilize the ODI series to boost their World Cup chances

Vijay Hazare Trophy

India, currently placed second in the ICC ODI rankings, will be firm favorites leading into the 2019 World Cup. With the showpiece event just two months away, the team will be hoping to apply the finishing touches. India will be taking on the defending champions Australia in a five-match ODI series starting from 2nd March in Hyderabad. These encounters will be the last international assignment for the Indian team before they embark on the World Cup mission.

The home series versus Australia provides Indian selectors an excellent opportunity to try out a few names before they finalize their 15-man World Cup squad. Dinesh Karthik has already been rested for the series while Hardik Pandya has been ruled out due to his back injury. Ace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar shall appear in the later stages of the series. In the absence of these regular players, following three Indian cricketers have a golden chance to book their ticket to the World Cup.

KL Rahul

The Indian opener has sparingly featured in the national ODI team. The team management has trusted KL Rahul to be the backup option for the pair of Rohit Sharma-Shikhar Dhawan. The Bangalore batsman had a terrible outing in England where he was at bay against the swinging ball. His form remained indifferent during the Test series in Australia and the talk-show controversy set him back further.

Rahul regained the trust of selectors with credible performances for India A. The successive knocks of 50 and 47 against Australia in the two-match T20I series indicated his hunger to be amongst the runs. A similar run-scoring pattern in the upcoming ODI series will take Rahul closer to his maiden World Cup appearance.

Rishabh Pant

Sparkling performance in the IPL 2019 helped Rishabh Pant get into the Indian team, despite it featuring two wicketkeepers. While the Delhi youngster has been impressive with the bat in Tests and T20Is, his ODI record is yet to speak for itself. In the recently concluded T20I series against Australia, Pant totaled only four runs. The upcoming five ODIs will provide him a platform to showcase his talent in the 50-over format.

Vijay Shankar

The Tamil Nadu all-rounder is currently one of the most exciting prospects in the Indian team. After his struggle in the Nidahas Trophy final, Shankar gathered up himself remarkably and has turned into a utility cricketer. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Shankar has emerged as the primary seam all-round option. He was effective with the ball in the second T20I against Australia where he sent back Aaron Finch and D’Arcy Short to slow the chase down. With Hardik Pandya unavailable, a solid performance in the ODI series will get Shankar closer to a berth in the World Cup plane.