India all-rounder Vijay Shankar yesterday said that being promoted to bat at the crucial No. 3 position came as a big surprise to him and he returns home from the maiden tour of Australia and New Zealand as a much improved cricketer.

Shankar batted at number three in two of three T20Is against New Zealand, scoring 43 off 28 balls in the final game and 23 in the series opener. He made his ODI debut against Australia at Melbourne and featured in three out of five ODIs and all three T20Is against the Black Caps. He gave a good account of his all-round abilities. It was a big surprise for me when they asked me to bat at three.