Indian skipper Virat Kohli has backed all rounder Vijay Shankar at number 4 ahead of their match against England. The talented all rounder has come under the hammer after some ordinary knocks with the bat in the last three games.
Vijay Shankar was brilliant on his World Cup debut against Pakistan. He was very good with the ball but was decent with the bat. However, despite looking good in his innings against Afghanistan and West Indies, Vijay Shankar got out very early. He scored 29 and 14 respectively in those two matches.
But India’s Virat Kohli thinks it is only a matter of time before Vijay Shankar gets a big knock in this World Cup. The 30-year old believes that Vijay Shankar might need some luck to score a big score. He also insisted that Shankar’s batting does not lack anything despite his low scores.
“It’s a strange one because he had a decent game against Pakistan. I think against Afghanistan on that pitch he looked really assured. Shot selection, again, we discussed with him for that game. Last game, again, he came out, he looked really good, and he got a beautiful ball from Kemar Roach.
“So you can’t really sit down and pinpoint things. But I personally felt he looked really solid. There’s not much that needs to be tinkered. Sometimes in cricket you just need a bit of luck to get over from 30 to 60, and then you play a defining knock for the team. He’s very close to that, and we’re very confident he’s going to end up playing that kind of knock for us,” he added.
Vijay Shankar provides the much needed balance to the side with his all round skills.
With both Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar, India have two genuine all rounders and more options in their bowling department. Although, he did not bowl after Pakistan match, Shankar is rated highly by the team management and Virat Kohli.
The Indian cricket team are undoubtedly the best bowling lineup in the world cup. They were clinical in their bowling displays and got all their bases covered.
Meanwhile, India also have Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the bench. In case of any changes to the middle order, the duo will surely be in contention. However, with Virat Kohli’s trust in Vijay Shankar, it looks like the latter should feature against England on Sunday.
India are the only unbeaten side in the world cup so far. On the other hand, England had a tough time after their back to back losses to Sri Lanka and Australia. It is a must win game for the hosts but India will look to continue their unbeaten streak as tournament favorites.
