Can India fit both Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar in the XI?
Not even close to being in the scheme of things for the World Cup squad till the end of 2018, Vijay Shankar has continued to get better with every opportunity he has got since then. Shankar's heroics both with the bat and the ball played a major role in India snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Australia today.
With his gradual improvement, Shankar is now a serious contender for not only getting into the squad but also into the XI.
Turning back the clock to the beginning of 2019, Hardik Pandya had got suspended following his controversial remarks on a TV show and Shankar was named as a replacement. And Pandya's bane became Shankar's gain.
Though Shankar did not get any game in the Australia series, he was impressive with the limited opportunities he got in New Zealand and was able to maintain his place in the XI even when Pandya returned. The 45 in the final ODI after coming in at 18/4 showed his ability to tackle pressure; in that innings he not only displayed reliability but also gave an account of his counter-attacking prowess.
With the ball he did show signs of improvement, but did not find himself amongst the wickets.
The T20 series against New Zealand was when Shankar caught everyone's eye. Coming in at the crucial number 3 position in the absence of Virat Kohli, Shankar grabbed the opportunity with both hands and played useful knocks in each of the games. He was used as a pure batsman in the T20s though.
Coming to the home series against Australia, Pandya's injury meant more opportunities for Shankar. After a not-so-memorable outing in the first ODI, Shankar had a unforgettable game in the second.
Coming in at 75/3, he not only forged a crucial partnership with Kohli, but also scored at a better rate than the skipper. Starting the innings cautiously, Vijay got into his zone and got some crucial boundaries as the innings progressed, taking the pressure off Kohli.
At 46 from just 41 balls on a difficult pitch after coming in at a tricky situation, Shankar was run-out in an unfortunate manner.
With the ball, he was taken out of the attack after getting hit for 13 runs in his first over. But he was recalled in the very last over of the innings, with 11 runs to defend.
There was a set Marcus Stoinis at the crease, and Shankar had his task cut out. But as it turned out, he got Stoinis plumb on the very first ball of the over.
A couple of runs on the second ball were followed by an accurate yorker to get the middle stumps rattled, handing India their 500th ODI win.
Both with the bat and the ball, Shankar showed he has it in him to deliver in pressure situations, and that he can be the man the team management can rely on.
Now what happens when Pandya returns? Will Shankar fit into the first choice XI in the World Cup? The answer to a large extent lies in how he performs in the remaining three games as well as how the others in the XI, especially the likes of Rayudu, perform.
Looking at the current team, all other slots are fixed. The only slot which Shankar can get into is Rayudu's slot. Dhoni at 4, Shankar at 5 and Kedar at 6 might be an option the management would be eager to try out as it will give the team an extra bowling option as well.
After proving himself with the bat under pressure situations, it would not be a surprise if Shankar is made to replace a frontline batsman like Rayudu.
However, such a move would be pretty harsh on Rayudu, who has earned his place. Having played almost all his career under the pressure of getting axed, Rayudu is finally at a stage where he has the confidence and backing of the management. The knock of 90 in the final ODI against New Zealand, the same game where Shankar scored 45, cleared all doubts about his ability and temperament to take his side out of a hole.
The only thing that might go against Rayudu is his form going into the World Cup. If he fails to perform in the remaining three games and the warmup games before the World Cup, the chances are high that the team management will be tempted to include Shankar in the XI. After all, Shankar has proven to be particularly impressive with the bat under pressure.
Shankar does however need considerable improvement in his bowling to become a proper replacement for Pandya. At present, Pandya's bowling gives him a definite edge over Shankar, but the latter has proven to be equally good with the bat as the former if not more.
If Shankar's bowling develops to an extent where he can guarantee a minimum of 6-8 overs every game, he might well play in place of a regular bowler too - when India need depth in batting. If Shankar reaches such a level with his bowling, India will have the luxury of playing two seam bowling all-rounders together, something which they have not had since long.
But considering India have only three ODIs before the World Cup, expecting such improvement in such a short time would be unfair.
Overall, in an ideal scenario, Shankar would not find a place in the XI. But the way he is improving it will not be a surprise if he replaces one of the frontline batsmen or bowlers at some point during the World Cup.