World Cup 2019: Vijay Shankar joins elite list after picking a wicket on his very first WC delivery

What's the story?

Vijay Shankar became the first Indian to take a wicket on his very first World Cup ball, and the third bowler overall to join the elite list.

In case you didn't know...

Owing to Shikhar Dhawan's thumb injury, Shankar made his World Cup debut against Pakistan on Sunday. With KL Rahul opening the innings with Rohit Sharma, there was a vacant middle order slot which Shankar occupied. While batting, Shankar was not out on 15 runs from as many balls as India posted a commanding total of 336 runs.

He then picked up the wicket of Imam-ul-Haq on his very first delivery as India comprehensively beat Pakistan by 89 runs via Duckworth-Lewis method.

The heart of the matter

Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling for India under overcast conditions at Old Trafford. When Kumar was bowling his third over, he felt a slight niggle in his leg. As a result, the pacer went off the field to check with the physio.

Indian captain Virat Kohli threw the ball to Shankar to complete the remaining over. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder trapped Imam-ul-Haq in front of the wicket and took a wicket on his very first World Cup delivery. Thus, he became the first Indian and third overall player to pick up a wicket on his first World Cup ball. The other two players to achieve the feat are Malachi Jones and Ian Harvey.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli stated that Kumar might miss a few games.

"Bhuvi's case looks like a niggle, a case of slipping on the footmarks. It doesn't look too serious at the moment and looks like he could recover in a couple of games from now, a maximum of three games.

"But we have Shami with us and it shouldn't be much of a worry for us. Even Bhuvi doesn't think his injury is very serious."

What's next?

Shankar, who picked up two wickets in 5.2 overs at an economy rate of 4.13, is expected to contribute with the ball in the upcoming matches as well, especially in Kumar's absence.

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