National selection committee chairman MSK Prasad on Friday hailed all-rounder Vijay Shankar as a player who had changed the dynamics of team selection, with his performances in the recent series.

The 28-year-old cricketer has been included in the squad for the ODI and T20I series at home against Australia.  

"Shankar's performances in the recent series have changed the dynamics considering the double impact he brings to the side with the bat as well as the ball. We will now evaluate his performances in the next few matches," he said.

Prasad further discussed wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant's selection at the expense of experienced cricketer Dinesh Karthik.

"We have included Pant in the squad considering many reasons like the fact that he is a left-hander. We are also looking to figure out the best possible batting position for him, having discussed this with the team management previously as well, in the presence of Virat Kohli. The fact that Pant is a left-hander also emerges as an advantage when it comes to adopting a suitable left hand-right hand combination," he said.

Prasad further discussed the manner in which the selectors had gone about formulating an effective plan, according to which Pant could enjoy regular game time without straining himself.

"We had two series in Australia and New Zealand before the upcoming series, with Karthik selected in the squad because Pant had played four Test matches on the trot, resulting in the decision to give him a good break," he said.  

"He was given a break for 20 days and then selected for the ODI matches against the England Lions, where he performed really well. This was followed by opportunities in the T20I matches against New Zealand. We want to test him in a few ODI matches as well, before taking a final call," added Prasad.