It was like a nightmare: Vijay Shankar on Nidahas Trophy final

The Nidahas Trophy final between India and Bangladesh last year was a tale of two men. While one became the toast of the nation after guiding the Men in Blue to a miraculous win, the other was slammed throughout the nation for nearly costing India the game. And you all would have guessed the names of the two men – the lucky one was Dinesh Karthik while the other one was Vijay Shankar.

The highly-rated allrounder had made his debut in that very tournament and had done decently in the games leading to the final.  Shankar came to the crease at a precarious situation and with the chance of becoming an overnight sensation. However, the game did not pan out as per his expectation.  He was even struggling to get his bat to the ball while the team needed more than 12 runs per over. He eventually got out after scoring 17 off 19 balls and was slammed heavily by the fans.

But fortunately, the fans soon moved on as Karthik’s heroics saved the day for Shankar as well as Karthik. The wicketkeeper-batsman launched a stunning counterassault to turn the game on its head before sealing a thrilling final with a last-ball six. Almost a year after that final, Shankar has opened up on how tough things were for him after that game.

“For the first one week or so, it was like a nightmare. I had many sleepless nights. But I have learnt to manage these things. The only way to get out of it was to train really hard and don’t give myself any time for negative thoughts. I have improved my skills since then and it has taught me so many things on the whole,” Shankar told The Times of India (TOI).

Change in fortunes:

Things, nonetheless, have changed for Shankar now. He recently made his ODI debut during the series in Australia and has impressed since then. He made a big mark with his big-hitting abilities in New Zealand and is in the contention for a World Cup spot. The 28-year old top-scored for India in the third T20I but unfortunately it came in a losing cause.

Recently, chief selector MSK Prasad had stated that the all-rounder is in with a big chance of making it to India’s squad for the all-important World Cup. Some impressive performances in the upcoming series against Australia and the succeeding IPL could very well bolster his chances.

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