'Whatever the conditions are, I will be able to adapt and perform for my team'
Vijay Shankar is ready for whatever challenges his first World Cup may throw at him, both as batsman and bowler
"More than the batting position - No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 - it's the situation that's going to matter" • Getty Images
Yes, it's my first World Cup and [to be playing in] that India jersey will be more special because the World Cup comes once in four years. Wearing the jersey itself oru thani [is a unique] feeling. Every time I wear that and step out onto the field, it's going to be a great feeling.
Pressure is always there. If you start giving too much importance to pressure, you won't be in the present. I just want to enjoy the game and work on all aspects - batting, bowling and fielding. The more I enjoy my game, the better I can perform.
I always think a lot about the game - a couple of days before a game, I plan, do some visualisation - but on the field it's important for me to react to the ball. In Wellington, I just had to play out the new ball. I don't know how to describe it... my mind was blank. It was a challenging wicket, we were 18 for 4, but I just reacted to the ball. I feel it's important for anyone to adapt; you never know what kind of situation you will walk into.
More than the batting position it's the situation that's going to matter, like I said earlier. Sometimes you might walk in at 200 or 250 for 2 and you might have to finish the innings. If you can prepare yourself to the best of your abilities and react to the situation, things will fall into place.
"Power-hitting is important to clear the boundaries. But can you also keep the scorecard ticking by rotating the strike, being calculative and going over the infield?"
Definitely not. If you see most of my innings, it might seem as if I had batted at No. 3 or No. 4, but more often I walked in after the 13th or 14th over. So it doesn't matter when you have just a few overs left. When you have wickets in hand, you should have the intent of going after the bowling attack. In that sense, I might have missed a couple of innings, but other than that I was happy to show the right intent for the team. I got three or four 20-plus scores at a good pace.
I don't talk much, but I make sure I watch these top players train and get something out of that. If you have top players around you - or whoever it is - if you [imagine] yourself as a captain, start to observe everything that's happening around you more carefully, and notice who's doing what, and why they're training a certain way, you can improve your game.
I still feel I'm the same Vijay. The responsibility comes once you start playing a higher level of cricket, but I always try to treat every game with the same intensity. So, cricket-wise, I don't compromise on all of this. When you start doing well, the public tends to notice you - it's part of any cricketer's life. I need to handle it and just respect everyone.
I train one and a half hours [each] in the morning and evening. I've been working out at a gym in Chennai and have had sessions with [personal coach, former Railways player] S Balaji. I've been taking throwdowns from him both inside my house, on the terrace and outdoors. In between, I ensure I have a proper break. It has been hectic after the IPL but training is something that I can't avoid. I've always given importance to it.
It's just to make sure you middle the ball more often and avoid the edges. Also, if you keep middling the ball, the confidence level will be a lot higher. It's not just the World Cup or Australia series - I've always used this method.
I actually don't know (laughs). It just came off. It came out of instinct and it wasn't planned as such.
I'm not quite sure if my reach was longer there. Sometimes, when you're in the middle, such things just happen on their own.
After the series against Australia, I've started to bowl more. Even in the IPL, I did a lot of bowling training, and the more you bowl, you'll get better at it. I've also started to enjoy bowling more. I started out as an offspinner, then took up medium pace and worked on it. It's important to train with purpose and not just practise for the sake of it.
"If you put yourself in the captain's shoes, you start to observe everything that's happening around you more carefully, and notice who's doing what, and why they're training a certain way. You can improve your game that way"
I've always been fit. Fitness has never been an issue for me. Physique-wise, speed-wise, I've never had any problems. Whenever I didn't give myself enough rest and pushed my body further, that's when I got injured. Besides domestic cricket, I kept playing league cricket [in Chennai]. I think I had those injuries because of not giving myself enough breaks. I've understood my body better now and know when to stop.
Power-hitting has become a part of every format now - even in Test cricket [one has to] to hit sixes. But sometimes even in T20s it's not just power-hitting. Yes, it's sheer power when it comes to [Andre] Russell, but most cricketers can work their way around. Power-hitting is important to clear the boundaries. If you have the full confidence, you can keep hitting sixes. But can you also keep the scorecard ticking by rotating the strike, being calculative and going over the infield? That is important for someone like me. I've also managed to hit sixes off my first or second ball, so it's just a combination of both and I need to use both correctly.
It's very difficult to say that and it depends on the situation. It's always important to put the team ahead of yourself. Sometimes you get carried away and throw wickets. Earlier, I tried to overhit the ball and I got out. I could have done things differently and got the team to a better position. I've learnt all these things in the last couple of years.
No, no. I just want to keep my mind blank and do what the team needs me to do.
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo