India all-rounder Vijay Shankar revealed that the decision to promote him up the batting order at number three came as a big surprise. Stating that experience was a challenging one, Shankar maintained that this has helped him evolve as a much-improved cricketer.
Shankar, who batted at number three in two of three T20s against New Zealand, scored 43 off 28 balls in the final match as India lost the match by four runs.
28-year-old made his ODI debut against Australia at Melbourne all played all the three T20s against the Black Caps. Going forward, Shankar said he would love to bat higher up the order.
“It was a big surprise for me when they asked me to bat at three. That is a big thing. I was focussed on playing the situation. You need to be open anyway if you are playing for a team like India,” said Shankar at the post-match press conference.
“These (Australia and New Zealand) two series I have learnt a lot. I might not have bowled a lot but I learnt to bowl in different conditions. In batting, just watching seniors like Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma) and (MS) Dhoni, how they go about their job, I learnt a lot,” he added.
“Even the last game was a learning experience for me. I could have gone for single or a two than go for another boundary,” Shankar said.
“I also had a very good opportunity to win this game for the team. If I can win matches for the team, that will automatically help me personally. For me, the most important thing is that I adapt quickly to different conditions and be consistent,” he further added.
Reflecting back on the defeat Shankar said, “We played well right through the 20 overs. Everyone was very positive when we were trying get closer to the total. Eventually we were just one hit away. The result could have been different on another day.”
