Vijay Shankar insists India’s bowlers won’t let any team get 500 runs

May 25 (CRICKETNMORE) - The race to 500 is a sub-plot set to run throughout the summer but according to Vijay Shankar, it’s India’s bowling attack that holds the key to their success.

England set the highest score in ODI history at Trent Bridge last year as they plundered 481 against Australia and it appears to be only a matter of time before the mythical 500-run barrier is broken.

The world’s best bowlers may have something to say about that and with the likes of No.1-ranked ODI seamer Jasprit Bumrah, swing merchant Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Jadeja and Mohammed Shami in their ranks, India certainly boast a fearsome pace unit.

And all-rounder Shankar, who chips in with handy seamers of his own, has warned not to discount the men with the ball in their hand.

“Of course I hope we are the team that gets to 500,” smiles Shankar. “But I think this is the best-balanced bowling attack India have had.

“The most important thing is all the fast bowlers are players who can take wickets at any stage of the game.

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“They have that ability and I believe that picking up wickets is the only way to stay in games. Everyone in our bowling attack has that skill, so if we can do that and can keep giving ourselves the best chance to deliver, we’ll be pretty happy.

“We talk a lot about the traditional bowling conditions in England but you see the scores that have been made in recent times – they’ve been pretty big.

“We’ll have to adapt quickly to the conditions on the day and it’s important we don’t have any preconceptions that it’ll be swinging or seaming around. It could be really flat, so we’ll just have to adapt to that.”

Shankar is the closest thing to a bolter in India’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 squad – having only made his ODI debut in January.

It’s been a rapid rise for the 28-year-old who had consistently impressed on A-team tours, only to suffer a series of injuries at the most frustrating times.

Fully fit at last, there is hope he could fill the tricky No.4 spot behind the nailed-on top three of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Virat Kohli but the man himself is blocking out any extraneous noise.

“There’s a lot of talk about my role, and maybe batting at No.4, but it’s good for me to keep things simple and enjoy my cricket,” he explains.

“That’s what I’ve been doing for the last year at least, that’s what has got me here. All I can do is prepare myself to the best of my ability.

“I never know when I will be needed to do the job with bat or ball. As long as I’m ready to accept any challenge, I’ll be really happy about it. I have to be prepared and enjoy every opportunity.

“It’s the biggest thing, representing your country, so I have to enjoy myself rather than putting myself under pressure.

“I’ll keep working hard on all aspects of my game and give my best for the team when the opportunity comes.”