India vs Australia 2019: 3 reasons why Mayank Markande was included in the T20I squad

#1 As a back-up option for the ICC World Cup 2019?

What if Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav get injured ahead of the 2019 World Cup?

We all know how much captain Virat Kohli loves to have leg spinners in his team and Markande, being a leg-spinner, will be a welcome addition to the squad. Given that there is always the possibility of Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal getting injured or being severely out of form ahead of the World Cup, Markande can be groomed as a back-up leg-spinner.

If Markande performs well in the T20I series, he will make a strong case for his selection in other formats as well. Another fact to be noted here is that right now, there are no back-up options for Chahal and Kuldeep.

Thus, including Markande in the T20I squad against Australia was a masterstroke by the Indian selectors.