I will look to express myself a lot more if I get to bowl, believes Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar was picked as a replacement for Hardik Pandya in the ODI series against Australia and no sooner had he completed his first ever successful away series against New Zealand and Australia in Indian colours, he became a strong contender for the 2019 World Cup. Shankar had been picked for the ODI and the T20I series against Australia that is about to start later this February.

“Shankar’s performance in the recent series really changed a bit of dynamics and he brings a double impact to the side that’s why we have included him. We’ll see how he performs in the next few matches,” chief selector MSK Prasad said.

The Tamil Nadu based all-rounder, however, was not so successful with the ball as he was with the bat. He had bowled a total of 16 overs without a wicket to his name in the series down under. Shankar had claimed that he would look to be more expressive if he gets to bowl in the series against Australia at home. 

“Last time, when I was playing in the Nidahas Trophy, my mindset was to pick wickets. In the recent times, I was much more restrictive mentally. I was just thinking about putting the balls in the good areas. Maybe, in the Australia series, I will look to express myself a lot more if I get to bowl.” Shankar said in an interview with India Today.

The 28-year-old had elucidated that he tried to stick to good areas and wanted to bowl the right line and lengths. The all-rounder had also distinguished the mindset that he maintained during the Nidahas Trophy from the recent tour as he bowled used the variations and the short ball very occasionally unlike he did it in the former tournament.

“I was happy with my pace but I can bowl much quicker than what I bowled there [New Zealand]. As I told you, I was much more restrictive. For instance, I was using the short-ball, which I believe is my strength, very well in the Nidahas Trophy. But recently, I didn’t use the short-ball. I didn’t try any variation. I just thought I should hit the right spots. That was my mindset,” Shankar concluded.

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