India all-rounder Vijay Shankar on Sunday said it was big surprise for him when the team management decided to promote him to bat at the crucial number three spot and that he has gained a lot of experience from the maiden tour of New Zealand and Australia. However, despite getting good start in all three innings in the series, he failed to produce a match-winning knock for his team.
The 28-year-old got the opportunity to bat at number three in two out of three T20s against the hosts. Vijay played an important 28 balls-43 runs knock in third T20 and scored 23 runs in the first game.
Going forward, Shankar said he would love to bat higher up the order.
"It was a big surprise for me when they asked me to bat at three. That is a big thing. I was focussed on playing the situation. You need to be open anyway if you are playing for a team like India," said Shankar after his team's four-run loss in the third T20.
"These (Australia and New Zealand) two series I have learnt a lot. I might not have bowled a lot but I learnt to bowl in different conditions. In batting, just watching seniors like Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma) and (MS) Dhoni, how they go about their job, I learnt a lot."
The fact that he had come to New Zealand with the India 'A' team in December also helped him.
"Even the last game was a learning experience for me. I could have gone for single or a two than go for another boundary," Shankar said.
"I also had a very good opportunity to win this game for the team. If I can win matches for the team, that will automatically help me personally. For me, the most important thing is that I adapt quickly to different conditions and be consistent."