When his name was not in India's original squad of 15 for the World Cup, there was quite an outcry - why no Rishabh Pant, one of the most explosive young batsmen in the game?

Former stalwarts - Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan among them - felt the Indian selection panel, led by MSK Prasad, had made a mistake. Well, Pant is in the UK now with the India team, as replacement for the injured Shikhar Dhawan. But now that he is there, how do India fit him in, what are the combination options with him in the mix? ESPNcricinfo takes a look on the eve of India's game against Afghanistan.

Where does he slot in?

If he is in the XI, it will be in the middle-order, anywhere between No. 4 and No. 6. With MS Dhoni behind the stumps, Pant has to play as a specialist batsman. Depending on the conditions, he would have to be a direct swap with Vijay Shankar or Kedar Jadhav, or one of the two frontline spinners; more likely one of the two allrounders.

What exactly does Pant offer?

Being a left-hander, Pant has a big advantage over the others in the Indian team - with Dhawan out, there are not frontline left-handed batsmen in the touring party. He can blunt the opposition wristspinners in the middle overs, something Dhawan did against Australia when he batted deep, leaving Adam Zampa to stand quietly the deep. The other advantage, well known but significant, is Pant's ability to dominate the bowling with his big hitting. Imagine Hardik Pandya and Pant batting together in the final phase - it can be quite a show.

Can he deal with the middle overs?

He has played just five ODIs, and has an ODI average that is, well, average, at 23.25. The List A average is 29.73. Does he then have the ability to bat in the middle overs and do what the team needs of a top-order batsman?

There's no way to answer that right now, but it's important to note that Pant is only 21, and he has been on a steady upward curve.

During the India A tour of England in 2018, and then again against the Lions at home in January, Pant played according to the situation, he showed patience and didn't get carried away at any stage. Even during the IPL, especially after swallowing the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup spot, he showed an ability to bat deep.

Two good examples of Pant being a thinking batsman and not just an instinctive one came against Rajasthan Royals during the group phase and then Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs. In the Eliminator against Sunrisers, Pant had walked in midway through a tense chase of a target of 165. At 111 for 5 with less than five overs to go, the responsibility was solely on Pant. He missed the half-century by a solitary run, but his 21-ball 49 was enough to knock Sunrisers out of the tournament. Against Royals, the target was a steep 191. Without a hiccup, Pant took Delhi Capitals past the finish line with an unbeaten 36-ball 78. Incredibly, Pant played just four dot balls against Royals and only one more against Sunrisers.

Pant had started the IPL with five dot balls in Capitals' tournament opener against Mumbai Indians. He ended with a match-winning 77 off just 27 deliveries (seven dot balls overall) and helped his team set a massive 213-run target that Mumbai failed to cross.

Not to forget Test centuries at The Oval and in Sydney, he does have the smarts and the skills, clearly.

What about the team combination?

The questions the think tank must answer: 1. Do India want to play a part-time seventh bowler - Vijay or Jadhav - instead of a specialist batsman in Pant to have more dimensions in their XI, and 2. Say the Indian top order continues to flourish, then would a more explosive option, like Pant, not be better than Vijay, who usually takes a few balls to settle down? Although Vijay and even Dinesh Karthik are better outfielders, India have the option of throwing their X-factor youngster in. Will they take it?