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

India defeated New Zealand by 35 runs in the fifth and final ODI at Wellington. It was a remarkable comeback from Team India after they were precariously placed at 18 for 4 in the 10th over.

Ambati Rayudu (90) and Vijay Shankar (45) added 98 runs for the fifth wicket before Vijay Shankar was unfortunately run-out. Rayudu added 74 runs for the sixth wicket with Kedar Jadhav (34) while Hardik Pandya gave the innings the final thrust by smacking 45 off 22 balls with 2 fours and 5 sixes.

In the end, a target of 253 was too much for New Zealand to chase as they fell short by 35 runs. For India, Chahal took 3 wickets while Shami and Pandya took 2 apiece. With this win, India has won the series by a margin of 4-1.

More than the win, this series has provided solutions for some of the ailing problems for Team India ahead of the World Cup. 3 Indian players have come up trumps in the series to pretty much book their spot in the World Cup squad.

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#3 Ambati Rayudu

With his innings in Wellington, Rayudu has proved beyond doubt that he is the no. 4 batsman for India

Ambati Rayudu came into the New Zealand series with his place in doubt for the World Cup. The performances of MS Dhoni in the Australian series had prompted the team management to look at Dhoni as an option for the no. 4 spot in the batting line-up. However, Rayudu got his opportunity from the very first match of the series.

Rayudu didn't have much to do in the first ODI at Napier where India was chasing only 158. But he ensured that he remained not out in that match while in the two matches at Mount Maunganui, he made 47 and 40 not out.

Rayudu failed to open his account at Hamilton where the entire team failed miserably with the bat. In the last ODI at Wellington, he walked into bat in the sixth over of the innings with the Indian score on 12 for 2.

He then saw Shubman Gill and MS Dhoni depart at the other end. He was stuck on 1 off 20 balls but never threw his wicket away in-spite of much frustration and then he put on a crucial 98-run partnership with Vijay Shankar to bring some respectability to the Indian total.

From 14 off 48 balls, Rayudu scored his next 76 runs off 65 balls. He should have been the first batsman from either side to score a hundred in the series but was unlucky to miss out on a hundred as he was dismissed for 90.

In the New Zealand series, Rayudu made 190 runs in 3 completed innings at an average of 63. With this superlative performance, Rayudu has pretty much booked his spot for the World Cup.

#2 Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami - the biggest positive for India in the New Zealand series

Mohammed Shami has been the biggest positive for Team India in the ODI series against New Zealand. After a successful ODI series in Australia, Shami came into the New Zealand series with a lot of confidence behind him.

Shami made his presence felt from the very first match of the series at Napier, where he cleaned up both the New Zealand openers, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, in his first and second over of the series respectively. He then came back to remove Mitchell Santner at the death, finishing with 3 for 19 in 6 overs.

In the second ODI, Shami got the important wicket of captain Kane Williamson. He followed that up with the crucial wickets of Colin Munro and Ross Taylor in the 3rd ODI at Mount Maunganui.

He then finished off the series in grand style by once again knocking off the Kiwi openers Colin Munro and Henry Nicholls in the final ODI at Wellington. Shami has proved yet again that he is a terrific bowler.

For his lionhearted efforts, Shami was adjudged the Player of the Match in the first and third ODIs and the Player of the Series as well. Shami finished the series with a haul of 9 wickets in 4 matches.

With his exceptional performances in New Zealand, Shami has certainly booked his place for the World Cup. He will be the third seamer to support Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, if and whenever India decide to play three front-line seamers.

He should share the new ball with Bhuvi, while Bumrah should come in as first change. More than Shami, it is the selectors and the team management who will be greatly relieved to fill in another crucial spot for the World Cup.

#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.