ODI form counts ahead of India tour: Lehmann

Coach Darren Lehmann knows it would be far from unprecedented for a player to earn Test selection based on performances in limited-overs Cricket.

With Australia's two-month tour of Sri Lanka coming to a close on Friday, Cricket Australia will conduct a standard post-tour review of the team's performances, which included a 3-0 Test defeat as well as victories in six out of seven white-ball matches.

Lehmann has credited the arrival of Australia's limited-overs players in Sri Lanka with helping to turn the side's fortunes around, with several players who arrived after the Tests performing with distinction in the shortened formats.

Quick Single: Lehmann praises ODI inclusions

Batsman George Bailey, destructive allrounder Glenn Maxwell, leg-spinner Adam Zampa, wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade and opener Aaron Finch all impressed with the white ball, having not been included for the Test series.

While Australia's next Test assignment will come at home this summer, they also have one eye on their return to the subcontinent early next year for a four-Test series against India.

And Lehmann said selectors take note of players who have proved themselves at international level, even if it is in white-ball cricket.

"We've certainly done that before when George Bailey played really well in India and got picked in the Ashes home series a few years back," the coach said of the Tasmanian’s Test elevation in the summer of 2013-14, which came after a superb one-day series against India.

Image Id: 056F7B552D774D7AA4A3B41B2EDA0B8D Image Caption: Bailey's ODI form in 2013 led to a Test call-up // Getty Images

"The way (the limited-overs team has) played has been exceptional. That's all you can do – put your name up in lights (from) the way you play in the one-day format.

"All performances for Australia count and that's really important."

Bailey was named player of the one-day series with a leading average of 67, while Zampa bowled consistently well in the middle of the innings, finishing the five-match series with nine wickets.

Maxwell scored a career-best 145 not out in the first Twenty20 as Australia reached a world record 3-263 before backing up with a second player-of-the-match performance on Friday.

Finch, who missed the T20 series due to injury, also impressed with scores of 56, 4, 30 and 55 in tough batting conditions in the one-dayers, as did Wade, who made 156 runs at 38.75.

While remaining focused on the home summer, which will include three Tests against South Africa and three more against Pakistan, Lehmann knows the tour of India is looming large.

"We thought the side we selected for the Test series (in Sri Lanka) was right (based) on form and the previous matches we played," the coach said.

"Obviously we didn't play as well as we would've liked (in the Tests) and some of the guys struggled with the conditions here and that's understandable, that happens sometimes.

"Those one-day guys have come in and they've performed really well and that's impressive.

"And that's all you can do when you're looking to another tour in February of India, for example, looking at the whole squad and what we take there.

"We've got a pretty important home summer as well ... so we'll have a look at those over the next few weeks."

Opener David Warner, who took over as captain when Steve Smith returned home during the one-day series, praised his side's ability to respond to a heavy Test defeat.

"To bounce back the way we did throughout the one-day and Twenty20 series was a phenomenal achievement," Warner said.

"The conditions we faced were pretty challenging from a one-day batting point of view.

"It was good, grinding cricket and we worked really hard to win both series."