Vijay Shankar disappointed despite India victory
What's the story?
Indian cricket team all-rounder, Vijay Shankar, opened up after India's sensational victory against Bangladesh in the final of the Nidahas Trophy on March 18 in Colombo. However, Shankar, who was unable to finish off the match himself, expressed his disappointment and hoped to have performed better at such a crucial moment in the match.
"I'm still disappointed about the five misses, disappointed that I couldn't finish it in those last two balls having struck a crucial four in the third ball of the last over. At that level you rarely get such a chance in your first knock. If I had hit a six, things would have been different. I was more disappointed with the fact that I had prepared hard for such a situation all along but couldn't deliver," Shankar told TOI on Tuesday
In case you didn't know...
Shankar was promoted up the order, ahead of Dinesh Karthik, when India was in a spot of bother. He started off well but faltered later on in his innings when it mattered most.
With 35 runs required off the final three overs, Shankar failed to connect off the first four deliveries of Mustafizur Rahman's over. Eventually, he got a single off the fifth ball, only to see Manish Pandey get dismissed in the final delivery of the over.
The details:
Luckily for Shankar, Dinesh Karthik took matters into his own hands and guided India to a spectacular victory.
Shankar and Mustafizur were teammates in the IPL last year, playing together for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
"It's a different thing to see Mustafizur in nets and face him in the match. On another day, I wouldn't have missed those balls in such a situation. I wouldn't attribute it to pressure factor but I think maybe it wasn't my day," said Shankar.
What's next?
Shankar will hope to put this performance behind him and start afresh in the IPL, where he will be playing for the Delhi Daredevils.
Author's take:
The 27-year-old all-rounder from Tamil Nadu played a huge role in India's success in the Nidahas Trophy. He performed well in all the matches apart from the final and will hope to not let his final performance affect him in the future.
He is a promising all-rounder and will hope to make a big impact in the IPL and get the selectors to notice his performances.