Nagpur: India have not gone in with the same XI for 30 consecutive Test matches and it is certain to stretch to 31 on Friday when India lock horns with Sri Lanka for the second Test at Nagpur. The question is how many changes will India make? While Murali Vijay is certain to take Dhawan’s place, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s spot has multiple contenders in Ishant Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav and Vijay Shankar.
Shankar was not even in the scheme of things even couple of days ago but things changed dramatically when the Tamil Nadu seam bowling all-rounder was drafted into the Indian side as Kumar’s replacement, who has been release for his wedding.
Kohli even dropped hints that the 26-year-old may be a contender for a slot in the national team for the South African tour, early next year.
With Pandya being rested for the Sri Lanka Test series, Shankar could be an ideal player for the conditions being prepared at Nagpur. His all-round abilities could give India its desired third seamer.
"He is a pretty balanced cricketer. Pretty composed, great fielder, handy with the ball and can easily can give you 10-12 overs a day. He is very solid with the bat of what I saw at the nets today. So big moment for him, he has earned it as I said,” Kohli added.
If India does decide to go in with Ishant’s experience, who has been in red hot form for Delhi, then also Shankar could sneak into the playing XI as an all-rounder.
The spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were hardly used in the first Test. Chances are Nagpur will also greet both the teams with similar traits which means, Shankar’s inclusion may not be a distant dream.
"Well, he (Shankar) has been very consistent and has earned his spot. We wanted to have a look at another all- rounder keeping in mind this aspect (batsman who bowls medium pace) of the team going forward," Kohli said when asked about his take on the Tamil Nadu cricketer.
Kohli however, cleared that Hardik Pandya is the team’s first choice all-rounder.
"Obviously, Hardik is in our scheme of things as first all rounder but we need to find out more people with that kind of ability whom we can groom and make as backups for all- rounder's spot when we travel abroad."
The skipper made it clear that he wants Shankar to get a feel of the Indian team’s set-up and know what he needs to do to become a top-notch international player.
"The whole mindset of bringing him and keeping him in the set-up is to make him familiar with what’s going on here and so that he understands what all he needs to work on his game as well," the captain said.
He may not have seen Shankar in match situation beyond a few IPL games but he seemed impressed with his batting ability during the net session and is confident that he can slip in 10-12 overs as the fifth bowler.