Vijay Shankar opens up on “that” Mustafizur Rahman over

Vijay Shankar opens up about his experience batting in the final of Nidahas Trophy 2018 and much more.

Vijay Shankar is still recovering from the last-minute of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 final against Bangladesh. In an interview with The Times of India, Shankar admitted how disappointed he was over his batting, especially against Mustafizur Rahman. In the crucial 18th over, Shankar could play out as many as 4 consecutive dot balls against ‘Fizz’, his former Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate. India eventually managed to win the final, thanks to an 8-ball 29* from Dinesh Karthik. “It’s a different thing to see Mustafizur in nets and face him in the match,” admitted Shankar. “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.”

Shankar’s inability to score off Mustafizur slowed India’s momentum at the end, something he is obviously unhappy about: “… 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.”

He also acknowledged the backing he got from his teammates as he was taken apart on social media: “Everyone patted me on the back and consoled me. Most of the players told me that I wasn’t the first one to undergo such an experience and motivated me.”