Virat Kohli although showed faith in Vijay Shankar, seems destiny has something else in store. Shankar has developed a toe niggle which means Rishabh Pant is finally going to play in this World Cup 2019.
The Number Four Saga
The number four slot in Indian cricket has been a talk of the crick circuit for a long time. It was the only mystery that the selectors needed to solve while selecting the final World Cup squad for the Indian team. The selection raised controversies as Vijay Shankar was preferred over Ambati Rayudu for the much-anticipated position. But Kl Rahul’s good performance in the warm-up helped him seal the place initially. Then Shikhar Dhawan had to leave the tournament following a thumb fracture and Rahul was shifted to fill in the opening slot. Shankar finally got his chance against Pakistan.
Unfortunately, he has failed to deliver with the bat so far. But Indian middle order desperately needs a good number four batter to provide the stability. Shankar did a good job with the ball though and gave important breakthroughs in Pakistan match. But his failure in the last three matches once again raised the question over his selection. Dinesh Karthik and Rishab Pant are the other two options for the same slot present in the reserve bench. Pant was called as a replacement of Dhawan.
why Rishabh Pant was picked over Vijay Shankar
Even after the controversies, the team management had faith in Shankar. Yesterday the skipper Kohli said, “He’s very close to that, and we’re very confident he’s going to end up playing that kind of knock for us. “
But according to the latest news, Shankar has some injury in the toe and that’s why Pant has been included on the match day. The news was revealed by the captain himself after the toss, “We do have one change. Vijay Shankar has a toe niggle, Rishabh Pant is in. He brings in a lot of fearlessness. He has a small boundary. Once he gets to 20, then it’s a different ball game.” England won the toss and elected to bat first in this much significant game at Edgbaston.
Also read: List of ICC cricket world cup winners of all time
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