Dinesh Karthik’s Advice Helped Me To Sleep Peacefully After Nidahas Trophy Final, Reveals Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar faced flak on social media after his 19-ball 17 in the high voltage Nidahas Trophy final against Bangladesh

By: Arun Rawal |
March 21, 2018 4:42 pm

Vijay Shankar had a nightmarish experience when he came out to bat in the Nidahas Trophy 2017 final against Bangladesh. When Shankar came in to bat, India needed 69 runs from 40 balls but somehow, the equation in the death overs boiled down to 34 runs from the last 12 balls. The all-rounder was criticised for not connecting six balls in a row as Mustafizur Rahman got the better of him with exquisite off-cutters.

Shankar got trolled on social media for playing too many dot balls in the death overs and creating unnecessary pressure on Manish Pandey and the new batsman Dinesh Karthik. The youngster is still in loop of ‘what ifs’ a few days after the nerve-wracking final.

Here’s what the Delhi Daredevils (DD) player had to say about his situation,

I’m not exaggerating, that was the most unforgettable moment in my life. I keep thinking what would have happened to me if DK (Karthik) hadn’t struck that six and we’d lost. I also think what would have happened if I hadn’t soaked up those many dot balls, maybe we would have won easily, and I would have been an anonymous figure. I’m thankful to him for winning the match, but at the same time I’m rueful that I missed a great opportunity to win the match myself.

He feels that it was one of the pressure cooker situations he heard from commentators during nail-biters over the years. In an interview with Indian Express, Shankar revealed how Karthik knocked on his door and made him understand,

He told me not to be too harsh on myself and relax. ‘I’ve been through several such instances, and if you keep brooding over it, you will have the tendency to repeat the same old mistakes. It’s the time to show your strength and take lessons from it.’ Those words lifted my morale and I could sleep peacefully.

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Shankar also expressed how he can get rid of the ‘ghosts of past’ as 17 runs from 19 balls is considered below par in T20 cricket,

I’m usually a very practical person, but I can’t get over this. Maybe, I need to bat exactly in the same situation and win a match for the country.

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The Tamil Nadu player might get a similar opportunity soon as he will be playing for DD in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 starting April 7.