Ashton Agar is aiming to fashion himself into a hard-hitting, adaptable batsman, capable of propelling Australia’s one-day team to new heights at next year’s World Cup.

Agar is part of the Australia A squad currently playing in a quadrangular series in India and the spin-bowling allrounder made the most of a brief opportunity to showcase his brute power with the blade in Saturday’s clash with South Africa A in Bengaluru.

Coming in late in the Australian innings, Agar struck 17no from just four deliveries including two sixes as Travis Head’s team posted an imposing 5-322. He was also the Aussies' most economical bowler with a tidy 1-36 from his 10 overs.

His batting cameo followed his 34 off 40 in the side's opening loss to India A on Thursday, where he come in at 5-76 and top-scored in an otherwise disappointing batting innings.

Australia’s ODI side was shown up by England’s big-hitting, fast-scoring approach to one-day cricket during their UK limited-overs tour in June, and Agar revealed he had been working on his power hitting during his recent stint with Middlesex in the United Kingdom.

"I think it’s really important for me to be able to come in and go from ball one like today," Agar said after the 32-run win over the Proteas.

"I worked on that a lot with Middlesex, for the last month I was in the nets working on my six hitting, and to be able to come in and try and finish an innings.

"For me, it’s really important for my batting to be adaptable so then I can be used in any situation.

"I love batting as much as I love bowling, so I’m trying to be as good as I can at everything."

England has posted 300 or more runs when batting first 23 times in the past three years since the 2015 World Cup – including their record-breaking 6-481 against Australia at Nottingham in June – compared to just 12 times for Australia.

It remains an area of serious concern less than a year out from the 2019 edition of the tournament and one Agar hopes he can help address.

"We have the guys capable of hitting those big sixes especially up the order, if (D’Arcy) Short’s firing, Chris Lynn’s fit, Aaron Finch is hitting the ball really cleanly at the moment," he said.

"Then it’s just about building that depth of power hitting.

"We’ve got three or four guys who are excellent at it but I guess it’s being able to do that the whole way through, to come in and finish an innings. That’s what we can work on."

In the short term, Agar also has his mind on a place in Australia’s Test squad for October’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, where he is one of several contenders to join No.1 spinner Nathan Lyon.

At the conclusion of the 50-over quadrangular series, due to wrap up on Wednesday, Agar will be part of a 14-player squad that will meet India A in two four-day matches in Vizag alongside fellow spin contenders Jon Hollard and Mitch Swepson.

"Personally it’s a big series for me to push a case to go to the UAE," he said. "To be honest I haven’t thought much about the UAE … (but) to bowl well in these conditions and formulate good plans against good players of spin, (that) will be really important if I do get picked, so it’s a big tour."