I was literally waiting for this opportunity, says Vijay Shankar after sealing a thriller in Nagpur

The fans would have feared the worst when Virat Kohli handed the ball to Vijay Shankar to defend 11 runs off the final over in the second ODI against Australia on Tuesday. Shankar had conceded 13 runs from the only over he had bowled in the game. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder had also given little account of his bowling prowess since making his ODI debut earlier this year. Moreover, with a well-settled Marcus Stoinis up against him, Shankar had his task cut out.

However, the right-arm seamer came out with flying colours to give India a thrilling eight-run win. He had all but sealed the game on the first delivery itself when he accounted for Stoinis. The Australia star went for a big heave on the very first ball but failed to read the pace of the delivery and ended up being trapped in front of the wicket. He went for the review only to get the umpire’s call on the hawkeye.

Adam Zampa then took a couple of the next delivery to bring Shankar under pressure. However, on the very following delivery Vijay Shankar fired in a yorker right in the block-hole to hand India an amazing win.  As a result of his stupendous efforts, India now lead the five-match series 2-0.

Speaking after the game, Shankar, who has been tipped to make it to the World Cup squad, said he was waiting for this chance and wanted to showcase his potential with the ball in pressure situation. “It was an opportunity to redeem myself after the expensive over I bowled. I was literally waiting for this opportunity, wanted to bowl under pressure because only if I deliver, they will trust me. I was up for the challenge.

“Around the 43rd over, I was telling myself that I am bowling the final over and defend the score, just prepared myself a bit. It’s about staying clear mentally. Wanted to just stick to the basics, hit the stumps from a hard length as there was a bit of reverse,” Shankar added.

Impressive batting

Before his final over heroics, Vijay Shankar had impressed with the bat. He had joined his skipper Virat Kohli in the middle when India were reeling at 75 for 3 on a pitch where stroke-making was tough. However, the right-hander completely turned the tide in India’s favour by playing an eye-catching knock of 46 off just 41 deliveries studded with five fours and an impressive pull off Pat Cummins for a maximum. He shared 81 runs with Kohli to lay the foundation for a good total.

“Yes, it (the batting) was good, timed the ball well and rotated the strike well. I was confident of doing well and we (him and Kohli) had a good partnership,” Shankar said about the partnership with the skipper.

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