ICC World Cup 2019: Vijay Shankar Not Surprised With His Bowling Efforts Against Pakistan

India all-rounder Vijay Shankar had an outstanding ICC World Cup debut against Pakistan at the Old Trafford in Manchester. He picked two crucial wickets as the Men in Blues registered their seventh World Cup win over Pakistan beating them by 89 runs. Speaking at the end of the game, Shankar didn’t seem surprised with his bowling effort in a crucial encounter.

Not surprised with my bowling: Shankar

Batting first, a century from Rohit Sharma and fifties from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli propelled India to 336 runs at the end of 50 overs. Although the Men in Blues were in line to post something over 350, but Mohammad Amir staged an excellent comeback to restrict the total in the end. During the chase, India received an early blow with star pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar ruled out with a hamstring pull. However, Vijay Shankar stood upto the task to dismiss Imam-ul-Haq in his very first delivery to provide Virat Kohli & Co with an early breakthrough.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Sachin Tendulkar Heaps Praise on Rohit Sharma, Says he is Batting at a Different Level

He returned at the end to remove Sarfraz Ahmed to finish with figures of two for 22 in 5.4 overs. While Vijay Shankar’s effort with the ball took many by surprise, he himself is calm and said that it is his bowling, which makes him useful.

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“I knew that I was batting well but my handy bowling makes me useful,” Shankar told reporters during a mixed zone interaction. “I need to keep on improving on all aspects of game and that’s how I look at things, so that when situation comes I am ready to face it,” he added.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: India is Way Better Than Pakistan as a Team, Says Sachin Tendulkar

First-ball wicket was surprising: Shankar

Vijay Shankar achieved a rare feat of claiming a wicket off his very first delivery of the World Cup. The young all-rounder admitted that it was a special moment for him and a great chance to make his debut against Pakistan.

“That was a surprise for me as it’s rare for someone to get injured and I come in as replacement. Getting a wicket off first ball is special thing for me.

“It was a great opportunity for me to make my World Cup debut against Pakistan as a lot of people would have watched the game. I just wanted to enjoy the moment as you don’t get to experience this often,” Shankar concluded.