Vijay Shankar
Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Vijay Shankar looked in fine touch with the ball against defending champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday. Shankar, who was heavily criticised for his lacklustre performance in the first two IPL 2021 games, found his mojo on the Chepauk surface as he plucked wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
Coming into the attack in the seventh over, Shankar dismissed Rohit with a fullish cross-seam delivery. The Mumbai Indians skipper tried to slog it across the line but the ball went straight down Virat Singh's throat at deep mid-wicket.
The scalp was Shankar's first wicket of the ongoing season, having bowled just one over in his first two matches for the Hyderabad-based outfit.
Shankar also struck in his next over by dismissing an in-form Suryakumar Yadav. After being hit for a maximum on the previous delivery, Shankar took perfect revenge by hitting the right length and taking a brilliant caught and bowled catch.
The 30-year-old also registered his best bowling figures in the history of the IPL. His previous best was 1/11. Shankar grabbed two wickets and debutant Mujeeb Ur Rahman also got a couple under his belt as Mumbai reached 114/4 by the end of the 17th over.
"Except for the last season, I haven't bowled much in IPL. It's been one or two overs here and there which is also a challenge for me. Whenever I come on to bowl, I have to be at my best.
"That's a challenge which I have to accept. Whenever I get an opportunity, I should look to give my best. Against a team like Mumbai Indians who have done well in the past, to come out well will be a great thing for us, this result will definitely give us a great confidence," Shankar had said at the start of the match.
