Team India all-rounder Vijay Shankar will be an important member of the squad when they start their World Cup campaign in England against South Africa on 5th June. He is expected to be part of the Playing XI at least for the first few matches. In all likelihood, Vijay Shankar will bat at No 4 for the team. He is of the opinion that how he prepares himself will be important for him to be successful in the showpiece event.
When the World Cup squad was announced, there were many people who were surprised by the inclusion of Vijay Shankar as they felt Ambati Rayudu could have been a better option there. However, chief selector, MSK Prasad revealed that Vijay Shankar got the nod as he is a 3 dimension player who can contribute in all 3 departments of the game.
While speaking on his possible opportunity to bat at No 4, Vijay Shankar said that there is a difference between batting at No 4 and batting in the lower order.
“There’s a difference between batting at number four position and batting in the lower order. How I prepare myself will the real challenge for me. I need to be in good shape, the most important thing will be how I play according to the situation. I should be equipped to play in any condition,” Vijay Shankar was quoted as saying by ANI.
“Number four slot, there have many been speculations about that slot. It is really important for me to keep things simple. Other things are not in my control, I should try to control what I can control,” he added.’
This will be the first World Cup for Vijay Shankar. It will be a big moment for Shankar when he takes the field for India in the showpiece event. He said that selection in the World Cup team was special indeed especially because the tournament happens only once in four years.
“Everyone’s dream is to first play for the country. Whenever you step in, you are wearing the Indian jersey and it is very special. The World Cup experience is all the more special as it happens once in four years and being named in the fifteen-member Indian squad, I am very happy about it,” Shankar said.
Ever since breaking into the national team, Vijay Shankar has been plagued with injuries. He has learnt a lot from the mistakes and will look to come back stronger in the quadrennial event.
“It is a very good journey, to be honest. The most important thing is that I had many injuries in the past and I missed a lot of cricket. But these injuries taught me a lot of things, how I should focus when I was in the rehab and lot of many other things,” Shankar said.