Veteran cricketer Ashish Nehra has backed all-rounder Vijay Shankar to be included in the India squad for ICC World Cup 2019 after the Tamil Nadu cricketer’s recent success in the ongoing five-match ODI series against Australia.
Shankar scored 46 runs for India during the second ODI in Nagpur before defending 11 runs in the final over to help the home team clinch a thriller on Tuesday.
Nehra also said both Shankar and Hardik Pandya could be on the flight to England since the two cricketers had very different styles of play.
“It was really important for him, small things make a big difference and I still feel you cannot call Vijay Shankar an all-rounder. He can be your sixth or seventh bowling option, he is not as good as Hardik Pandya but definitely, he will get better with time,” Nehra told News 18.
“The more he will play, he will get better and he is entitled to improve. As a batsman there is no doubt about it that he has got some really good skill set and going forward Vijay Shankar can be a match-winner for India,” Nehra added.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli-led Team India have taken a lead of 2-0 in the ongoing five-match ODI series against Australia. The third match between India and Australia will be played in Ranchi on Friday.