The 16th edition of the IPL is doubling as a means of auditioning for the upcoming cricket World Cup. Though countries are aware of the tournament, it will draw more attention once the IPL has ended. The management has mentioned that they are close to deciding on the personnel they wish to include; however, some changes may be based on IPL performances. Varun Chakravarthy and Ishan Kishan are two examples of players who were selected for the World Cup squad due to their strong IPL showings. India will want to do everything they can to ensure their selection process is foolproof and end their dry spell in ICC tournaments.
Venkatesh Iyer and Vijay Shankar are two players who have gained the attention of national selectors and have the potential to make it to the 2023 World Cup squad for India. While their stories are similar, it is uncertain who will be chosen for a spot in the end, as Shreyas, the current No. 4, is yet to return from injury. Both of these players excel with the bat but can also provide useful overs with the ball. Whether one or both of them make the cut for the tournament remains to be seen.
Venkatesh Iyer or Vijay Shankar, who has a better chance of making it to the squad?
India’s decision to select Vijay Shankar for the 2019 World Cup squad’s No. 4 spot was met with criticism. Despite some hot and cold performances, he was forced out of the tournament due to an injury. However, since then, Shankar has been doing impressively in this year’s IPL, despite the short sample size. His stellar domestic season, which included three consecutive centuries in the Ranji Trophy, is a testament to this. His body language has also been very positive recently.
On the contrary, Venkatesh Iyer has an impressive List-A record, boasting an average of 48.15 and a strike rate of 105.83. He was also successful during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with remarkable innings of 63* off 24 balls. However, his lack of ODI appearances (only two to date) is a disadvantage compared to Vijay Shankar.
Hence, Shankar may be the preferred choice for selection due to his comprehensive batting skills, experience in ODIs, and recent form.