I Started Believing In Myself More After The Knock Against Kiwis - Vijay Shankar

It was an eventful tour to New Zealand for Vijay Shankar. A lot of things have fallen in place for him and almost secured his position in the Indian National Cricket Team. Meanwhile, he speaks on the impact of the knock on him, which he played against New Zealand in the final ODI of the series.

The final ODI of the series against New Zealand has shown his skills to tackle the bowling attack at top-order. It was the knock, which gave him immense confidence to sustain in the team and helped him to be in the scheme of things for ICC World Cup 2019.

”The pitch had moisture but the bounce was variable. Initially the ball was moving a bit and they were also bowling good speeds. It was a good challenge – bat out a situation, have nearly a 100-run partnership, and eventually the team wins from that situation. I was reacting to the ball, and yet I was scoring at a decent clip without playing many dot balls,” Vijay Shankar said to ESPN Cricinfo.

I was supposed to bat at 7 or 8 – Vijay Shankar

Speaking of the tour, Vijay Shankar quoted that he joined the team with a lot of expectations on himself. Though he made the most of the opportunity, he feels that he has got quite a few chances, where he would have been better for the team.

Revealing his batting position, Shankar quoted that he is about to bat at 7 0r 8 for the team. But, the sudden fall of wickets pushed the management to promote him up the order, which yielded the goods for the team and himself.

”I was supposed to bat at No. 7 or 8, but when we were 15 or 16 for 3, I was asked to pad up.  Quickly, I went in, padded up and Mahi bhai [Dhoni] got out. I had very little time to think of anything. I was blank. They say when you are blank you are at your best,” he quoted.

”When I got that 45, I got the team to a position from where they could win. That 45 gave me the feeling that I was very compact and confident. Sometimes the intent, even when you defend the ball, gives you confidence. If I can bat against someone who is bowling 145kph on a challenging wicket – that confidence is really important. I started believing in myself more,” he added.

Well, it would be interesting to see how things would pan out for Vijay Shankar. The all-rounder has delivered with the bat but yet to come good with his bowling. He has been brilliant in the domestic circuit but the level of competition in international cricket varies to it.