"He continues to be the match-losing element in every team he's in" - Twitter reacts to Vijay Shankar's sluggish knock in GT vs PBKS IPL 2024 clash
Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Vijay Shankar struggled to make an impact with his atrocious 10-ball eight-run knock in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Ahmedabad.
Shankar came into bat at No. 5 following Sai Sudharsan's dismissal in the 14th over. GT were well placed with a settled Shubman Gill working his magic at one end, as the franchise aspired to a big total.
However, Shankar could not get his timing or placement right and failed to score a single boundary in his innings. His struggle at the crease came to an end after he holed out to long off against Kagiso Rabada's bowling.
Fans were furious over Vijay Shankar's batting display, and advocated for Abhinav Manohar's selection or the promotion of lower-order batters like Rahul Tewatia or even Rashid Khan for that matter.
The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has scored only 40 runs in four innings in the 2024 season so far, and is on the verge of losing his place in the playing XI.
GT did manage to score a mammoth total on board despite the lull in the middle during Shankar's stay at the crease. Gill scored an unbeaten 89, while Rahul Tewatiya (23* off 8) provided the final flourish to take GT to 199.
Here are some of the reactions to Vijay Shankar's knock on Twitter:
Vijay Shankar had an on-and-off-season in the domestic circuit
Shankar was part of the Tamil Nadu squad that made it to the knockouts of the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy and the 2024 Ranji Trophy. He scored a century in the the state team's win over Punjab, but has not contributed anything of note since then.
Vijay Shankar might still retain his place in the playing XI despite his poor form, with David Miller ruled out for a while, as confirmed by Kane Williamson.
"Nice to be out there, shame to lose Davey (Miller) for a week or two. It’s a reasonably competitive total, hopefully our bowlers can do the job in the second half. There’s a little bit there with the new ball, was trying to navigate through, a bit of sideways movement and swing on offer and hopefully, our bowlers can exploit that," Williamson said during the mid-innings break.
GT have made the early breakthrough in the second innings as Umesh Yadav struck with the new ball to dismiss PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan.