Five Indian players who should be considered for the ODI and T20I series against Australia

The Indian cricket team will be high on confidence after beating Sri Lanka in every single match of their recent tour. Tougher challenges await the Men in Blue as they host 20 limited-overs matches in the next three months starting with a five-match ODI and a three-match T20I series against Australia.

Chief selector MSK Prasad has conceded that there are few players who are in contention for a place in the Indian squad for the 2019 World Cup. Taking this into consideration, we could expect a few changes in the squad to face the Aussies.

It will be interesting to see who are all rested for the series and who all get a chance to prove themselves at number 4. Let us take a look at the players who should be considered for the series.

NOTE: This list does not feature the players who played in the India-Sri Lanka series.

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Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant had a brilliant 2016-17 Indian domestic season and continued his good form in the Indian Premier League that put him in contention for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Unfortunately, he wasn't picked for the tournament but found a place for himself for the tour of West Indies where he played just the one-off T20I after warming the bench throughout the ODI series.

One would have thought that he will be picked for the Sri Lanka series but he didn't find a place for himself in both the ODI and T20I squad. The chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said, "Rishabh Pant is one of the players to watch out for. He didn't have a great South Africa tour. We are looking to give him more chances in the T20 format. Just like Hardik Pandya, we will start with the T20 format and then figure out Pant's progress."

Pant is not yet ready to set the stage on fire in ODIs, but in T20Is, he is more than handy with the bat. The selectors should take a bold call and pick the left-hander in the squad to face Australia in the three-match T20I series at least.

Yuvraj Singh

One last chance, maybe?

Ever since making a comeback to the Indian side earlier this year, Yuvraj Singh had a decent run with the bat. He played a couple of whirlwind knocks, one against England in Cuttack and one against Pakistan in Edgbaston and couldn't get himself set in most of the matches.

In spite of scoring 372 runs in 11 matches at an average of 41 in 2017, Yuvraj Singh was not included in the Indian squad for the Sri Lanka tour. There was a lot of confusion over his exclusion as few claimed that he failed the Yo-Yo Test while some claimed that the dashing southpaw was rested.

"Yuvraj Singh is rested, not dropped. We've started a policy where a set of players will be given chances for next 4-5 months," MSK Prasad cleared the air surrounding his exclusion in a press conference later.

KL Rahul failed miserably at number 4 in Sri Lanka and in all likelihood, both Rahul and Manish Pandey will be having an extended run at that spot.

In spite of that, it won't be a bad idea if the all-rounder from Punjab gets another call-up to the Indian side to give an audition to the number 4 spot.

The selectors should make it clear that this will be the last chance that will be given to the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup and send out a clear message: Perform or Perish.

Dinesh Karthik

The curious case of Dinesh Karthik

What does one need to cement his spot in the middle order of the Indian ODI side? Dinesh Karthik had a brilliant 2016/17 domestic season that saw him dominate each and every single bowling unit in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy in which he scored a combined total of 854 runs at an average of 85.4 and a strike-rate of over 105.

Adding to this, he also scored over 700 runs in the Ranji Trophy and was one of Gujarat Lions' best players in the IPL. In spite of doing so well in the last eight months, he has been in and out of the Indian team. He was called in as a replacement for Manish Pandey in the ICC Champions Trophy and was included in the Indian squad for the West Indies tour before he was omitted from the squad that toured Sri Lanka.

He scored an unbeaten fifty in the last ODI innings he played. With India's middle order in a limbo, Karthik's inclusion will make things better as he is the ideal candidate for the number 4 position and he deserves to be given a run at the spot as a reward for his heroics in the Indian domestic circuit.

Shreyas Iyer

When will Shreyas' time come?

If you consider the last three seasons, there is no one better than Shreyas Iyer when it comes to scoring runs in the Indian domestic circuit. If it was some other country, Shreyas would have cemented his spot in the playing XI by now. But, the Indian team has been having a settled combination in Tests in the last couple of years.

But, in the ODI format, there are few areas that are needed to be addressed. The selectors are willing to try out few options in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup. One name that deserves a chance is Shreyas Iyer. The right-hander is in a good knick and has the ability to bat anywhere in the top four.

His recent 140* against South Africa A helped India A win the triangular series in the rainbow nation. The selectors should take a bold call and give Shreyas a chance in the ODI team, either at the top of the order at the expense of Shikhar Dhawan, who has been playing non-stop cricket since the IPL or at number 4, a slot for which there is a lot of competition.

Basil Thampi

Basil Thampi bowled really well in the 2017 IPL

Without a doubt, the Indian team is one of the best fast bowling sides in the World. With the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, the India have enough firepower in them to run through any batting side in the world.

One name that could join the above-mentioned pacers in the near future is Basil Thampi.The fast bowling sensation from Kerala hogged the limelight during the Inter-Zonal T20 tournament earlier this year and was bought by Gujarat Lions in the IPL auction.

He had an average IPL in which he claimed just 11 wickets in 12 matches at an economy rate of 9.49, but was way better than what the numbers suggest. He is easily one of the finds of the tournament and went on win the Emerging player award.

He was rewarded with a spot in India A team for the tri-series tournament which included South Africa A and Afghanistan A. In spite of taking just two wickets, he got a lot of praises for the way he bowled. He is someone who is very good at the death and it won't be a bad idea if the Indian team decides to invest in Thampi ahead of the 2019 World Cup starting from the upcoming India-Australia series.