The Indian Skipper Vijay Shankar is one of the most talked about player in Indian cricket after the announcement of the 15-member squad by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He has made his place in the 15-man squad for the upcoming World Cup and ever since there has been a lot of discussion and debate around him. According to the chairman of selectors, Shankar is a three-dimensional player and that was the reason for his selection instead of Amabati Rayudu.

Shankar was first called up in the ODI side as a replacement for Hardik Pandya and is now considered as a specialist batsman who can bowl as well. By his consistent performances, he has replaced Rayudu in the squad and will bat at the no.4 spot in the marquee tournament. The reason behind his addition was the fact that he is a 3D player who can contribute to the team in all the three departments of the game. Kohli is confident of Shankar's abilities and believes the all-rounder brings in a lot of qualities to the squad.

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In an exclusive interview with India Today, Kohli said, “We tried a lot of things. There were a few combinations that we tried. Eventually, when Vijay came in, it was three dimensional: he can bowl, he can field, he can bat. He is a proper batsman as well. That just gave us an option, saying why not have that kind of balance which other teams have had all these years. From that point of view, we all agreed on it.”

At Southampton, on June 5, India will play his first match against the South African team. Shankar is likely to make it to the first XI and will take the No.4 slot, walking in right after Kohli and will have the responsibility of stabilizing the inning.

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