3 Indians who have pretty much booked their places in the World Cup squad after the ODI series against New Zealand

#1 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar should be the batting all-rounder for the World Cup

Vijay Shankar got the opportunity to stake his claim in the absence of Hardik Pandya at the beginning of the series. Shankar had a decent debut against Australia in the decider at Melbourne when he conceded just 23 runs in his 6 overs.

In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Shankar played in the first two ODIs against New Zealand as well but did not get a chance to bat.

But when he got his opportunity to bat in the final ODI at Wellington, he impressed everyone with his controlled aggression.

Shankar should thank his skipper Rohit Sharma for promoting him up the order in a challenging situation when India was struggling at 18 for 4. While Rayudu was holding one end up, the onus was on Shankar to keep the scoreboard moving. He also had to hold onto his wicket as one more wicket at that stage could have been a repeat of the Hamilton humiliation.

Shankar mixed caution with aggression and scored 45 off 64 balls. His partnership with Rayudu saved the day for India.

Unlike Hardik and Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar is the batting all-rounder in the team who could turn into a specialist batsman when the situation demands. His gentle medium pace bowling could be effective in England and he could be a better option than the spin-bowling all-rounder Jadeja. In English conditions, Jadeja might be the superfluous spinner in the squad and his place could very well go to Vijay Shankar.

Besides, India has not discovered the fourth seamer yet for the World Cup as bowlers like Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj have failed to deliver the goods on a consistent basis. Vijay Shankar could be that option which should improve the balance of the squad.