Gujarat Titans (GT) batsman Vijay Shankar hit a blistering half-century to propel his side to 204/4 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match 13 of IPL 2023 on Sunday (9 April) in Ahmedabad.
GT captain Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to bat first in the contest. Regular captain Hardik Pandya missed the match due to a minor health problem.
Wriddhiman Saha (17) and Shubman Gill (39) gave their team a decent start. However, neither man managed to rip and convert his starts. Sai Sudharsan (58) continued to impress everyone by picking up his second straight half-century as he anchored the innings well.
Vijay Shankar came up to bat in the 14th and hit a half-century to end the innings on a high. He led the bowlers around the park, smashing five sixes and four fours en route to 63* late in the first innings.
Reflecting on his strike at the half-inning break, Shankar said:
“It’s just that I’m enjoying it more this year. Last season, something was wrong. This time, I came to the IPL in good shape. The team supported me and kept me. I just wanted to give something back. I’ve been working a lot with Gary and the rest of the support staff since we started the camp.
“It was a bit difficult. I got injured during the World Cup. I didn’t do well in the last two IPL tournaments. Being part of the national team is just part of the process. If you keep playing well, the national team will recover.” take care of it alone. I really want to thank everyone at the NCA. I worked really hard on my fitness there!”
Fans praise Vijay Shankar after he led GT to 204/4 against KKR in IPL 2023
The fans were pleasantly surprised after witnessing an authoritative half-century from Vijay Shankar on Sunday afternoon against KKR. They showered him with praise through his reactions on Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
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