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Substitute Player Vijay Shankar Becomes Team India’s On-Field SMS Service

The third and final Test match between India and Sri Lanka at Feroz Shah Kotla was full of action. We had seen some annoying drama and uncalled pauses by Sri Lankans. The Sri Lankan players were seen wearing masks to protect themselves from the bad weather condition in New Delhi.

The drama didn’t just seem to stop and there were perplexed scenes at the Kotla time and again. Even their players walked off the leaving their overs in between. The game was stopped again and again for this apparent ploy from Sri Lanka. Keeping all these incidents aside, the visiting team fought hard against the hosts in the third and final Test of 3-match Test series.

The men in blue set a mammoth target of 410 to the Sri Lankan team. However, they managed to defend the Indian bowlers and drawn the match at the end. Roshen Silva and Niroshan Dickwella’s unbeaten 94-run partnership proved to be a vital cog as Sri Lanka’s resistance earned them an honorable draw in the final Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

With half the Sri Lankan side dismissed and more than half of the day still left to play, Virat Kohli’s men were right on top but could not make it 2-0 as the visitors played superbly on the final day. Although Dinesh Chandimal’s side was defeated 1-0 in the Test series, they lost just two wickets in 87 overs on Wednesday, which is an incredible feat for an under-fire batting unit.

Earlier on day four, when is the time to declare the innings, is a question that needs ample discussions. Generally, the skipper and the coach decides on it before calling back the batsmen. But what if the skipper is at the crease then? How could he contact the coach regarding the decision?

All-rounder Vijay Shanker played the role of messenger between the dressing room and batsmen in the middle. India was looking for a timely declaration even as skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma batted with purpose at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. And taking a call on declaration needed well-informed suggestions from the coach too.

In the 47th over, India coach Ravi Shastri sent Shanker to deliver a message in the middle. Right before the start of the 48th over of India’s second innings batting, Shankar ran in with the drink. Was India going to declare their innings then? That was the huge question, and Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two in-field players then, had a short conversation and delivered a message to Shankar, who had run in for the drinks break.

Two deliveries later, the camera caught Shankar delivering the message to head coach Ravi Shastri, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and batting coach Sanjay Bangar. He got the reply and ran in with the water bottle and relayed the message to Kohli and Rohit.

Watch The Video Here:

Sort of an on-field postman, or to be precise an SMS service, isn’t it?

How was that from the Indian team? Share your views with us in the comments section below.

Related Article: Delhi Smog – BCCI Takes A Harsh Decision Over Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium