Indian all-rounder, Vijay Shankar drew widespread praise after he scored 46 runs off 41 deliveries in the second ODI against Australia at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur. On a slow wicket, Shankar batted fluently and played shots that oozed class and elegance.
Shankar got a promotion and came to bat at no.5 for India. He hit five fours and a six in his 41-ball stay at the crease. His straight drives and pull shots served as eye candy for the fans.
Shankar has thrown his hat and is in the race to go to England and Wales for the Cricket World Cup that commences from May 30. He was unlucky to get run-out today but impressed one and all.
Take a look at how Twitter reacted to his dismissal:
Vijay Shankar has been extremely impressive. This is who he is. A quality batsman who can give you a few overs.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 5 March 2019
Cruel, absolutely cruel for Vijay Shankar. Batting so fluently… #IndvAus
p.s- Shankar at no.4 might not be a bad idea when Pandya returns.
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) 5 March 2019
Forget Vijay Shankar the all rounder, let’s focus on Vijay Shankar the batsman. That innings of 46 was oozing class. ????#AUSvIND
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) 5 March 2019
Vijay Shankar’s batting will be the talk of the town in the IPL. Will play some match winning knocks this season. Early call. #SRH #IPL
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 5 March 2019
Vijay Shankar is slowly becoming the pillar of middle order of Indian Cricket eleven.#INDvsAUS
— Prakash Samanta (@ThePrakashSam) 5 March 2019
Vijay Shankar’s 46 (41) today was seriously promising for India, playing an extremely low 4.1% false shots.
The last time an Indian who wasn’t Rohit, Dhawan or Kohli made that many runs, with that much control, was Hardik Pandya in the Champions Trophy Final. #INDvAUS
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) 5 March 2019
No, no, no….bloody unlucky dismissal for Vijay Shankar. What a brilliant knock! Premature end. Deserved a hundred. #AUSvIND
— Rohit Sankar (@imRohit_SN) 5 March 2019
Vijay Shankar, my word, that’s a top-five batsman batting. Trouble for Team India is every time someone looks close to sealing the deal at number four, the batsman develops cold feet.#INDvAUS
— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) 5 March 2019