World Cup dream no focus for Richardson

Pace sensation Jhye Richardson has done his World Cup claims no harm with a player-of-the-match performance in Australia's 34-run win over India at the SCG on Saturday.

Richardson claimed career-best figures of 4-26 from 10 overs, removing key scalps Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu in the space of three balls to reduce India to 3-4 chasing 289 for victory.

He later returned to dismiss middle-order pair Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja as he showcased his full bag of variations to see Australia home despite Rohit Sharma's epic 133.

The 22-year-old might not be playing this game had Cricket Australia opted against resting the first-choice fast-bowling attack of Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins after their grueling workload in the four-Test Domain series. 

With the 'Big Three' absent, there is no better time for the youngster to showcase his wares on the biggest stage with the World Cup less than six months away. 

But the World Cup is in the future and Richardson is focusing firmly on the present and the remaining two games in the Gillette ODI Series, which moves to Adelaide on Tuesday before concluding in Melbourne on Friday.

"My focus is on these two games coming up," Richardson said after play. 

"Justin (Langer, head coach) has said it’s a great opportunity to be able to push your selection (case) for the World Cup

"But we’ve still got a lot of white-ball cricket between now and then.

"So I think it’ll be for me to concentrate on these two games then if I’m lucky enough to get picked for the next tour, it’ll be concentrating on those games. 

"Then if I get picked, I get picked. All I can concentrate on is what’s happening now."

Australia's next limited-overs tour is a two T20I, five ODI visit to India in February-March.

Following that is a five-match ODI tour to the UAE to face Pakistan, after which the World Cup squad will be named by April 23. 

If Richardson needed further endorsement he got it from Rohit, who faced plenty of the rookie quick throughout his 129-ball stay at the crease and was equally impressed by the Australian at the start and end of India's pursuit.

"He looks a very great prospect for Australian cricket," Rohit said. 

"He's got great variation as well. Towards the end we got an opportunity to see that as well when he was bowling those slower balls. 

"When you have those sort of skills the job of the captain becomes a lot easier and a captain can rely on someone like that bowler who can come and bowl in the end and up front with the new ball to take the ball away from the right-hander. 

"He bowled pretty well with the new ball and also very well with the old ball. 

"To have skill to bowl with new ball and bowl with old ball as well it's quite exciting."

Once Australia's 50-over commitments are done it will be time for the Ashes in England.

The right-armer was a reserve fast bowler on the infamous Test tour of South Africa last year but was overlooked for the tour of the UAE in October. 

In five JLT Sheffield Shield matches this summer, the whippy quick has 27 wickets at 19 and claimed 11-105 against NSW Blues at Perth Stadium. 

But with the carrot of an Ashes tour dangling close, Richardson narrowed his focus back to the matches at hand. 

"That’s the dream, I’d love to play an Ashes tour," Richardson said. 

"Obviously if I keep going well then nothing is out of the question.

"But as I’ve said, my focus is here and now and we’ll go from there."

Gillette ODI Series v India

Australia ODI squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Adam Zampa

India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj

First ODI: Australia won by 34 runs

Second ODI: January 15, Adelaide Oval (D/N)

Third ODI: January 18, MCG (D/N)