India's World Cup dress rehearsal: 3 Check-boxes India need to tick 

#2 - Second choice wicket-keeper

Pant was the second highest scorer in the series vs Australia

Dinesh Karthik looked almost set to book his ticket to England, but it came as a big shock when he was left out of the squad for the India-Australia ODI series.

"We have included him (Pant) considering many factors that he is a left-hander," chief selector MSK Prasad said in a press conference. Rishabh Pant lost his place in the ODI side, after a pretty ordinary home series against Windies. However, his exploits in Australia in the test series and his impressive performance against England Lions brought him back to the reckoning. MSK Prasad told the press that the reason he did not feature in the ODI series in NZ and Australia was due to heavy workload in the test series against Australia.

Having said that, Pant is still a youngster and is yet to prove his worth in the 50 over game. Karthik on the other hand, had a splendid run post the Champions Trophy'17, averaging over 47 in the 20 ODIs that he has featured in. This also includes his heroics in the Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh, where he changed the game in just 11 balls.

The selectors seem to have gone with youth over experience. However, MSK Prasad said that DK is not yet out of contention, adding that the selectors have a group of 18 players, that they are rotating over. With all the swashbuckling shots and the swagger that Pant brings in to the squad, it would be unfair to Karthik if he is left out of the World Cup squad.

The final call will depend on how Pant fares in the India vs Australia series.