Vijay Shankar’s honest remark on India return after giving ‘2019 WC’ reminder | Cricket

If not entirely, but the Indian Premier League (IPL) will give fringe players a chance to prove their worth for the 2023 ODI World Cup slated to be played later this year with a few spots still up for contention. Among the few names that have popped up till the halfway mark, Gujarat Titans’ Vijay Shankar is one of them. His two splendid knocks have given fans “2019 World Cup” vibes amid the No.4 spot up for grabs and the GT all-rounder on Saturday made an honest remark on his India return.

Shankar has made a stunning return in IPL 2023, scoring 199 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 165.8 with two fifties, both of which came against Kolkata Knight Riders and it was these very knocks that gave fans that “2019 World Cup” vibes.

In the first match, in Ahmedabad, he scored an unbeaten 63 off just 24 balls to power GT to 204, in a match where Rinku Singh stole the limelight with those magical five sixes. In the second match, on Saturday at the Eden Gardens, he scored a thundering 24-ball 51, this time in a winning cause.

Back in 2019, knocks like these saw Shankar rise out of nowhere to make the World Cup squad, amid controversy as he replaced Ambati Rayudu. With 2023 being a World Cup year, fans feels that selectors might want to have a look at Shankar’s form amid the No.4 conundrum where Shreyas Iyer is presently out with injury an Suryakumar Yadav has struggled in the format.

After the match in Kolkata on Saturday, Shankar made an honest remark on his return to the Indian team. “It’s too far for me. Mentally I’m really not thinking about that. If I can win matches for my team that’s the only satisfaction I can take from every game,” Shankar said. “I’ll be really happy to contribute to my team’s wins. Cricket is something we love, that’s why we still continue playing. No expectations, I just wanted to enjoy my cricket.”

Shankar last played for India in the World Cup match against West Indies before he was injured. After being ruled out of the tournament, he was never called back again to the Indian side in any format.