Vijay Shankar will be delighted if he finds his name in the list of India's 15-member UK touring party, which the national selectors are expected to announce on Monday (April 15) for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, but yet the 27-year-old all-rounder is not at all losing his sleep over that, instead he is concentrating most of his energies on performing well for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year's edition of the Indian Premier League.
"Wearing the India cap is a dream for every cricketer. But I haven't let the thought of the World Cup team selection affect me. I have looked to focus and contribute for SRH," Shankar told IANS.
"It is very important to do well for Hyderabad. I got into SRH before I made a comeback into the Indian team. So, the trust they have shown in me, must be repaid."
If picked for the World Cup, Shankar will be expected to do an important job in the middle-order. Hence, it is good that he has been performing the same role consistently for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shankar has batted mostly at No.3 or No.4 in the SRH top-six and has done reasonably well.
"I have not thought about that, but it is really good that I am batting up the order," he said. "Even in the series against New Zealand, I batted at three and here I have done that for SRH and that is a good thing that has happened."
"I had a decent series in New Zealand and the most important thing is that when the team shows trust, it gives you more confidence. It has nothing to do with the World Cup, it is about doing what suits the team and the situations."
Sunrisers Hyderabad has won three and lost three out of its six matches, and finds itself fifth in the eight-team IPL 2019 points table as of now. Shankar also admitted that his team has had an inconsistent run so far, but said that it has what it takes to go all the way and clinch that prestigious trophy.
"I think we have a very good side, we have addressed most of the areas," he said. "If you see the games we lost, we failed to grab the important moments. Even in the first game, we were in there against Kolkata till the 17th over. The last two-three overs changed the games."
"Key moments were lost, but as cricketers, we need to keep learning and get better every day. If we can learn from our mistakes and do the right things, we can win more games. The team has gelled really well."
