4 Takeaways for India from their big series wins in Australia and New Zealand

India have ended their 50-over journey overseas with a comprehensive rout of a strong New Zealand side, adding to their already impressive series win against Australia.

Under the quality leadership of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India thrashed New Zealand 4-1 in what turned out to be a one-sided affair. In the process, the team won an ODI series in New Zealand after a decade.

The Indian side also dominated the one-day series in Australia, defeating the Kangaroos 2-1 after initially trailing in the series.

As the World Cup 2019 is just months away, all the teams are looking to get their playing 11 sorted in order to be fully prepared before the big tournament commences in England. The Virat Kohli led side too came to Australia and New Zealand with a few puzzles to solve concerning their final 15. Now, they seem to have the jigsaw pieces in place as they prepare leave the foreign shores.

Here, we take a look at a few takeaways for the Indian side, courtesy their important wins before the World Cup.

1. Shami seals the 3rd seamer slot

Mohammed Shami has all but sealed a spot as one of India's seamers for the World Cup in 2019

Mohammed Shami was India's prime pace bowler in the 2015 World Cup. He ended as India's second highest wicket taker in the tournament with 17 scalps in 7 games under his belt.

However, post the 2015 World Cup, the speedster lost his way courtesy a dip in form along with certain injury issues. He was soon sidelined from India's limited overs side. Inspiring performances from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the rapid rise of Jasprit Bumrah in the international circuit didn't help Shami's cause either.

After his return to cricket post the knee surgery, Shami had an average IPL season but continued to be a part of India's plans in the longest format. Shami impressed in the overseas tours of South Africa and England, and was finally given a chance in the one-dayers against West Indies followed by the tour Down Under.

Shami came into his own against New Zealand, picking up 9 wickets in 4 games, and more importantly getting those crucial breakthroughs at the start of the innings. The Bengal pacer has become the fastest Indian to 100 ODI wickets, which would surely sky-rocket his confidence ahead of the big tournament in June.

2. Kuldeep and Chahal ahead of Jadeja

The wrist spinning duo of Chahal-Kuldeep have looked lethal bowling in tandem

Every Indian captain in the past has had the luxury of a quality spin bowling duo in the ranks, whom they looked to in times of crisis. Be it the combination of Kumble-Harbhajan for Ganguly or the Ashwin-Jadeja duo under MS Dhoni, spinners bowling in tandem have been deadly in the past.

The current Indian skipper Virat Kohli has the luxury of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal at his disposal, and the two wrist spinners have combining well to squeeze the opposition in the middle overs.

India took the risk of introducing the two wrist spinners in the side after the Champions Trophy in 2017, but the move seems to be reaping huge returns. In 23 games that India have played with the wrist spinners together, the side has been triumphant in 16 matches, with a win percentage of 69.

India did try out Ravindra Jadeja in a few matches, but the impact that the former two have had is unmatched.

3. Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav sealing the all-rounder slots

Both Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya have time and again proven their skills at the international level, impressing with their all-round abilities.

Kedar Jadhav has developed into an indispensable player for the team

Jadhav has proved his worth with both the bat and ball ever since his entry into the side. He has played some crucial innings in the lower order, helping the side cross the line in tense situations more often than not.

Jadhav is a street smart cricketer which is evident from the way he bowls - with an unusually low release, making life difficult for the batsmen. Of late, he has taken the role of a finisher with the bat, with numerous match-winning knocks in the closing stages.

Hardik Pandya proved his worth in the final 2 ODIs against New Zealand

Pandya on the other hand has experienced a torrid time at a personal level, first with injury and later an unexpected controversy keeping him off the field.

The Baroda all-rounder returned in India colors after a gap of nearly 5 months when he took the field in the 4th ODI against New Zealand. His comeback has been splendid, with the MI player making a match-winning contribution in the last ODI of the NZ series.

4. Longer wait for Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj

Shubman Gill has shown exceptional skills in the domestic circuit, but the World Cup is out of reach for now

India's under-19 World Cup hero Shubman Gill had a dream season in 2018. The youngster from Punjab played crucial knocks en-route India's World Cup winning performance in the youth event, with the Player of the Tournament award proving his mettle with the bat.

Gill also had a decent run in the IPL with his franchise KKR last year. And in the 9 games he played for Punjab in Ranji Trophy, he scored 1089 runs at impressive average of 77.28.

The batsman earned his place in the national squad, but his two matches so far have shown that the World Cup 2019 would still be a far-fetched dream for the 19-year-old.

Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, has been knocking on the national team's door for quite some time now. He has been impressive for the Bangalore franchise in the IPL and has also put in consistent performances for his state Hyderabad in the Ranji games.

In the limited opportunities the pacer has got at international level, he has shown glimpses of the special skills he has. However, just like Gill, Siraj is a prospect for the future and won't be hurried into the national side.