Recovering from an inadvertent hit on the toe by a Jasprit Bumrah in-swinger in the nets on Thursday, new entrant into the team Vijay Shankar who took a first-ball wicket against Pakistan in his debut World Cup match, is confident he will make it to the playing 11 in the game against Afghanistan. Excerpts of his interaction with the Press on match eve at Aegis Bowl on Friday:
What is the condition of your toe and will you be able to play tomorrow?
I’ve got a lot better. And yes hopefully (I will play).
Were you surprised that the Bumrah delivery at nets landed on your toes?
When you play someone like Bumrah, you always expect that. Still, sometimes we do miss that.
Are there any areas that you think need improvement? How do you guard against complacency?
Being a professional, it’s important to keep improving and get better every day. That is the only thing every individual thinks of. If we can keep getting better, we can set better standards in every game.
Afghanistan have not had the best tournament so far. Their previous performance in the Asia Cup against India, Pakistan and SL was good. How is the conversation in the changing room?
It’s not about against whom we’re playing. It’s about how we play as individuals. We always look to get better, even in practice sessions. That is our only motive. It doesn’t matter against whom we’re playing. It’s just about how we play.
Does it really feel like you’re playing the World Cup the way things are going?
It feels great to represent the country. World Cup is special because it happens once in four years, so for every individual it’s special. The first important thing is representing the country. That feeling will always be there.
This time last week you hadn’t played in the World Cup. Now you’ve got a game under your belt, you’ve got runs, you’ve got a couple of wickets. Has that settled you mentally?
It gives any player confidence because that is really needed. Last game gave me some confidence, especially playing against Pakistan, making my debut against them. It was a very special thing for me, performing under pressure and coming out good. The team winning and at the end of the day that felt good.
How do you think your bowling has evolved?
I always look to get better in all three aspects of the game. I know I can keep getting better. I know I can bowl a lot better than what I am bowling now. Whenever I get to a practice session, I make sure I improve. I have a good chat with my bowling coach and try and get better.
Going in in the death overs, after Hardik Pandya’s power hitting… does it create a pressure on you to replicate that?
The pressure will always be to deliver. I’ve played down the order. I’ve got experience playing at Nos 6, 7. It’s not about taking that extra pressure. It’s about taking extra responsibility and delivering it at the right time for the team.
The way that England dealt with Rashid Khan, any plans to replicate the attack?
Every day is different and every wicket is too. You cannot take things for granted. So tomorrow (Saturday) might be a different scenario where we might have to target him, or we might have to play him off. Adapting ourselves to situations as quickly as we can is key.
You’ve been with Rashid in the Sunrisers team. What is it that you have to watch out for when it comes to him?
He’s one of the best bowlers in limited overs. Having played with him for a couple of years, it’s very important for me to pick things from him, like whenever I bat against him in the nets, I try and pick his variations. Anyone can go for runs. It is about how we come back strong. How I play against him today will be the key.