The high of beating arch-rivals Pakistan may be beginning to settle down as Team India takes a two-day break before regrouping for their next World Cup match against minnows Afghanistan. For one player though, the joy and adrenaline would surely take some time to settle down. All-rounder Vijay Shankar was informed of his World Cup debut—that too, against Pakistan—the night before the match by coach Ravi Shastri. What no one could have told him was that he would be taking his first World Cup wicket off his first ball.
Asked to finish the over of injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shankar trapped opener Imam-ul-Haq leg-before-wicket, giving India the vital breakthrough in the first powerplay. “Coming on to bowl so early was a surprise for me. Every bowler would love to get wickets in the World Cup and we needed big wickets as a team. I have been batting well, and bowling is something which, I know, will be very handy for me. It is important to improve all aspects of my game so when the situation comes along, I will be ready,” he said.
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He came in as a replacement for injured opener Shikhar Dhawan. Originally picked in the squad as a batsman who would bat at number four, he has been handed the role of a floater instead, along with another all-rounder Kedar Jadhav. At Old Trafford, in his first match of the World Cup, he came in at number six to finish a rain-interrupted Indian innings, and scored a run-a-ball 15.
The team management and selectors opted for Shankar—just three ODIs old—in the World Cup squad thinking his medium pace was ideally suited for the slightly overcast conditions in England. Manchester, where the India played Pakistan, was cloudy but there was little movement generated in the air. Shankar, who also is the captain of Tamil Nadu in 50-over format, bowled a tight line and length and took two wickets in the match—the second one of Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. Speaking about how he was adapting to the demands made of him by the team management, Shankar said, “I have to be flexible in my role—batting and bowling. I am someone who feels it is very important, as a cricketer, to be able to adapt quickly to the situation.”
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Clearly, skipper Virat Kohli, vice-captain Rohit Sharma and coach Ravi Shastri have a lot of faith in his abilities. With Australia needing 10 runs to win, in the Nagpur ODI in March, Kohli entrusted him with bowling the last over. Shankar won it for India.
Shankar, a pupil of India A coach Rahul Dravid, said he is comfortable batting in the lower middle-order. “I was batting at six and seven in my first innings for India. I batted there against Australia and performed the same role. So, it was nothing new for me.
“I just think it was a great opportunity to make my World Cup debut against Pakistan, when there would be so many people watching the game. I try to enjoy each and every moment.”
