Vijay Shankar credits Lakshmipathy Balaji for overcoming Nidahas Trophy 'embarrassment'

India all-rounder Vijay Shankar had an eventful 2019. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder quickly rose through the ranks and created a place for himself in the Indian team. Vijay Shankar also travelled with the Indian team to play the 2019 World Cup. Moreover, he got a dream debut in the marquee event as he managed to grab his first wicket on the very first delivery of his tournament.

However, an injury put an end to his World Cup campaign and since then, things have gone downhill for the right-hander as he hasn't been able to make a comeback into the Indian team.

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Vijay Shankar opens up on Nidahas Trophy debacle

However, it hasn't been an easy ride for Vijay Shankar. He had a tough start to his India career. In fact, Vijay Shankar had a terrible outing in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy Final, which was his first series for India. Vijay Shankar was India’s most expensive bowler who conceded 48 runs off four overs.

Things were extremely difficult for him with the bat as well as he couldn’t get bat to ball. When India needed score at a rate of around 11, he managed to score just 17 off 19 balls.

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Recalling the tough match, Vijay Shankar said how embarrassing it was for him after the terrible day. It was then that former cricketers, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Subramaniam Badrinath’s words of wisdom encouraged him to put this behind him and move ahead. Incidentally, Balaji and Badrinath both hail from Tamil Nadu just as Shankar. While speaking on a show named Mind Masters by MFORE on Star Sports 1, Vijay Shankar said that he learned two big lessons at an early stage from Lakshmipathy Balaji and Subramaniam Badrinath.

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Vijay Shankar revealed that Badrinath told him that if he is good enough, no one can stop him from playing at the highest level. He added that Balaji advised him that life is all about handling embarrassments. Vijay Shankar further said that it sounded something big at that time but when he started experiencing it, he understood what both the former cricketers meant. 

Vijay Shankar got a boundary in the last over, bringing the target down to 5 off 2 balls. But then, he got out to Soumya Sarkar, caught by Mehidy Hasan Miraz. However, he managed to cross over, putting Dinesh Karthik on strike. With five needed off the last ball, Dinesh Karthik hit a six to hand India a thrilling victory.

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IMAGE COURTESY: BCCI TWITTER