Rishabh Pant set for ICC World Cup 2019 berth pipping Dinesh Karthik

Young Rishabh Pant took a giant stride towards realising his World Cup dream, pipping veteran Dinesh Karthik in the 15-member ODI squad for the Australia series while K L Rahul all but clinched the reserve opener's slot for the mega event by earning a recall.

While the selectors announced two different teams for the first two and last three ODIs, the side that is expected to travel for ICC World Cup 2019 will be the one for the last three games of the series. The engagement with Australia starts February 24 with the first T20 International in Visakhapatnam, while the cricket World Cup 2019 is scheduled to begin from May 30.

Rahul returned to the side after he was controversially called back midway through the tour of Australia following his and all-rounder Hardik Pandya's loose talk on women in a TV show.

Regular captain Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah are also back in the squad for the entire Australia series after a break and even vice-captain Rohit Sharma will not be resting.

The committee headed by MSK Prasad also announced the T20 squad for the two-match series, in which rookie Punjab leg-spinner Mayank Markande made the cut and Kuldeep Yadav was rested.

"...as a back-up spinner we are looking at him (Markande). So we have been grooming him through the India A process and he has taken a five-wicket haul (against England Lions on Friday)," Prasad said after the selection meeting.

However, all eyes were on the ODI squad which is supposed to be a mirror image of the team that will be travelling to England.

Why Karthik lost a place in Indian ODI squad

One of the biggest calls was regarding the second wicketkeeper-cum-reserve batsman's slot. Karthik seems to have missed the bus to a much younger Pant, who is considered to be the future of Indian cricket and heir apparent to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.

Source