Despite failing with the bat in his first outing in international cricket, Shankar had an excellent outing with the ball.

Until the 18th over of the final against Bangladesh, rookie India allrounder Vijay Shankar had an excellent outing in his maiden T20 series. The 27-year-old Tamil Nadu cricketer had earned a man of the match award for his bowling effort in one of the league matches and came up with some special efforts on the field.

But his maiden chance to prove his worth as a batsman in India colours came in the crunch match. And much to his disappointment, he flunked the 'pressure test'. With the required rate over 10 an over, Shankar, who scored a 19-ball 17, failed to connect four deliveries on the trot off Mustafizur Rahman in the 18th over and missed one in the final over as well.

It's been more than 48 hours since India's sensational victory but Shankar "still hasn't" overcome the disappointment of those five dot balls. "I'm still disappointed about the five misses, disappointed that I couldn't finish it in those last two balls having struck a crucial four in the third ball of the last over. At that level you rarely get such a chance in your first knock. If I had hit a six, things would have been different. I was more disappointed with the fact that I had prepared hard for such a situation all along but couldn't deliver," Shankar told TOI on Tuesday (March 20).

Shankar, who had seen Mustafizur in the Sunrisers Hyderabad nets in IPL in the last two years, did prepare for such a moment but admits facing a bowler of his calibre in a match-situation was a different ball game altogether.

"It's a different thing to see Mustafizur in nets and face him in the match. On another day, I wouldn't have missed those balls in such a situation. I wouldn't attribute it to pressure factor but I think maybe it wasn't my day.

"Obviously, after missing the first three balls I was stiff thinking 'I haven't connected three on the trot'. In hindsight, I would say I should have tapped and run a single. Yet, I still scored a boundary in the final over. But the fact that I stood there till the end gave me a different experience. Having endured such an experience, I think it will keep me in good stead in the future," he added.

Amidst all the drama, Vijay Shankar received words of consolation in the dressing room. "Everyone patted me on the back and consoled me. Most of the players told me that I wasn't the first one to undergo such an experience and motivated me," added Shankar, who is looking forward to playing for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.

Even as his statemate Dinesh Karthik turned out to be a saviour for India, Twitterati couldn't refrain themselves from trolling Shankar. The affable cricketer said he understood the emotions of fans.