India vs Australia 2019: 4 things for Indian fans to look forward to

#4 Is India really excited about Vijay Shankar?

Vijay Shankar batted well in the T20I series against New Zealand

After India were reduced to 18-4 against New Zealand in Wellington, Vijay Shankar came out and showed good composure and technique. He stitched together a valuable partnership with Ambati Rayudu, which allowed India to come back into the game and eventually win it.

Perhaps the selectors were really impressed with his batting, as he was asked to bat at number 3 in the T20I matches that followed.

Shankar has been good with the bat, but he should not be a middle-order batsman. India has a settled middle-order and there is no point of over-experimentation just before the World Cup.

Shankar is an all-rounder, so he might be used as a back-up for Hardik Pandya. However, he did not bowl in the T20 series at all. This tells us that India is looking at him as a pure batsman.

But as a batsman, he might not find a place in the World Cup squad. A lot will depend upon how he goes about his business in the Australia series.