It's not about taking extra pressure but extra responsibility: Shankar

Vijay Shankar looks at the varying demands of international cricket as "extra responsibility" rather than "extra pressure", an approach that enables him to perform any role assigned by the team management.

Shankar is unfazed by the fact that he doesn't have the skill sets of someone like Hardik Pandya, who, with his power game, has lived up to the team management's expectations on most occasions. Be it in the middle overs or towards the end, Hardik has mostly delivered.

Asked if he faces problems at numbers 6 or 7 as he doesn't have the big shots like the Baroda all-rounder for those end overs, Shankar begged to differ.

"That pressure will always be there to deliver whatever the situation demands. So it's not about how powerful I am because I've also played down the order. I've also got experience playing at numbers 6 or 7," he said on the eve of India's World Cup match against Afghanistan.

"It's not about taking that extra pressure. It's about taking extra responsibility and delivering it at the right time for the team."
"Yeah, I always look to get better in all three aspects of the game. I know I can keep getting better. I know I can bowl a lot better than what I am bowling even now. I'm just working on my bowling. Whenever I get to a practice session, I make sure I improve a bit at least."