All-rounder Vijay Shankar, who was a part of India’s squad for the 2019 World Cup after being preferred over Ambati Rayudu, has taken a major career decision by deciding to part ways with his home state, Tamil Nadu. The right-handed batter will be representing Tripura in the upcoming decision, and Shankar has finally broken his silence regarding the same. While speaking to the Hindu, Shankar said that he was frustrated after being reduced to the sidelines and overlooked by the selectors despite his consistent performances.
The 34-year-old stated that he has received the No-Objection Certificate from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and is eager to begin the next chapter of his cricketing journey.
Shankar also ripped into the selectors, calling them out for their alleged lack of clarity. He stated that he was dropped on multiple occasions, which led to him switching teams to get some game time.
“Sometimes, when you’re forced to take that call, you need to move on and look out for opportunities. I think I’ve been playing well. And more importantly, I want to play cricket, that’s it. I can’t go out there and just sit out and give water. It’s quite difficult after playing for so many years,” Shankar told The Hindu.
Shankar then revealed how he was left out of the TNCA President’s XI for the last two of the three group stage matches in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament in Chennai, adding to his growing frustration.
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“Last year, I got dropped for the first two Ranji games, and then I made a comeback. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, again, I was dropped for the last two games. So, after that, it was quite tough. You need some clarity at some point. I was not getting that clarity,” said Shankar.
‘Never got any secure feeling’
Shankar, who has a respectable record in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 3142 runs in 81 innings, shredded the selectors for not giving him adequate security. He also said that he had to constantly prove himself despite consistently performing well. It must be mentioned that in the last Ranji season, Shankar registered his career-best score of 150 not out against Chandigarh.
“I never got any secure feeling when it comes to the selectors. So, at one point, I decided I needed to take a call. And I was happy that at least our coach (M. Senthilnathan) came up and told what they (the selectors) were thinking. So, I felt that there was no point staying. And trying to still fight it out to play in this setup was quite difficult,” said Shankar.
Vijay Shankar has now joined Hanuma Vihar to represent Tripura. Earlier this week, Vihari got the NOC from the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association, and hence, he joined Tripura ahead of the upcoming domestic season.
“Even if you take the last three years, I think only in 2022 I batted at one batting position, I batted at No. 6 every game, and I got three consecutive hundreds. But after that, from No. 3 to No. 7, I batted everywhere,” said Shankar.
“So, there’s no explanation for this (why he’s being sidelined). But I can say that all these things have made me a better cricketer today. It made me really tough. I was always in a position where I had to keep performing to prove things wrong,” he added.