Hyderabad: Ahead of the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), all-rounder Vijay Shankar on Friday asserted that he has never batted at a certain batting position for two or three consecutive innings in the last two seasons for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League 2024.
Shankar has been an integral part of the GT's setup since its inception and played a crucial role in helping his side to reach finals in back-to-back seasons. Shankar's ability to bat in the middle order and bowl in the powerplay makes him a valuable asset for the franchise, much more when the team does not have the services of Hardik Pandya.
On being asked by ETV Bharat, about his role in the current GT's line-up, Vijay Shankar said, "GT have given role clarities. My batting position is not fixed. Even for Tamil Nadu, it's continuous up and down. It's never been like batting at a certain position for two or three consecutive innings and it's quite a challenging thing because if you're gonna bat up the order, you can prepare in a certain way. Then it does not matter, which number you're batting. So it is always flexible in different situations and conditions.(sic)"
"Even in the last season, it has always been like this. In the Royal Challengers Bengaluru game, I batted at number three. Then in the qualifier, I batted at number six or maybe seven. So it's just adapting myself and giving my best to the team. I am very happy to adapt to different conditions and situations for the team's needs and at the end of the day that is the most important thing for me. So it's been very clear here(sic)," Shankar added.
Titans are playing under the new captain -- Shubman Gill after their former skipper Hardik Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in an all-cash deal in the leadership role replacing Rohit Sharma at the helm. Gill impressed everyone with his captaincy skills with a remarkable victory over MI in their campaign opener at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"Shubman has been doing well. In the first game, we went close and were able to pull things back in our favour. In the second game, they (Chennai Super Kings) batted well and it was a tough game for us, but then as a captain backing the players is very important and he is doing that well," Shankar, who plays for Tamil Nadu in the domestic circuit, said.
Shankar didn't get the start he would have wanted in the start of the new season, but would be looking at it as an opportunity to prove his mettle and make a strong case for the upcoming T20 World Cup squad selection. He has scored only 18 runs in two games at a strike rate of 105.88 in the ongoing season so far.
Gujarat are currently placed at the seventh spot in the point table of the cash rich IPL, with a win in two matches. The Shubman Gill-led side will face Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
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