After a 13-year stint in Tamil Nadu, all-rounder Vijay Shankar has decided to part ways for the upcoming domestic season. The decision came after he was granted the No-Objection Certificate by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Shankar will represent Tripura alongside batter Hanuma Vihari, who recently left Andhra Pradesh.
Shankar scored 3142 runs in 81 Ranji matches, including 11 centuries and 16 fifties, at an average of 44.25 for Tamil Nadu. With the ball, he picked up 43 wickets at an average of 53.93.
While speaking to The Hindu, Shankar revealed that despite playing good cricket, he was often left out of the playing XI and made to sit.
“Sometimes, when you’re forced to take that call, you need to move on and look out for opportunities,” he said. “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.”
Last season, he was kept out of the first two matches of the Ranji Trophy and the last two games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Shankar mentioned how tough it was for him to play like this.
He added, “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.”
Mixed with frustration and unable to fight for a secure place in the team, the all-rounder made the call to leave the Tamil Nadu side. His decision became clearer once his coach, M. Senthilnathan, gave him an idea of what the selectors were thinking.
In the last three seasons, the batter has been juggling different batting orders, except in the 2022 season, where he got to bat at No. 6 consistently.
“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,” he mentioned.
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