He scored 118 runs in IPL 2025, averaging 39.33..
Prolific all-rounder Vijay Shankar has parted ways with his home state, Tamil Nadu. He has now shifted his base to Tripura for the upcoming 2025-26 domestic season, following in the footsteps of Andhra batter Hanuma Vihari.
In the aftermath of the decision, Shankar has now opened up on why he chose to leave a domestic giant like Tamil Nadu. 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 criticised the selectors’ lack of clarity that 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,” said Shankar.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder further explained how he got ignored and was left out of the TNCA President’s XI for the last two of the three league stage matches in the invitational Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai.
“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.
The pace-bowling all-rounder, however, clarified that he has received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and is excited to start a new journey.
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The right-hand batter further shredded the selectors for not creating a secure environment, particularly for him. He claimed that he was always under pressure to prove himself despite consistency.
“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 us what they (the selectors) were thinking. So, I felt that there was no point in staying. And trying to still fight it out to play in this setup was quite difficult,” said Shankar. “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. I was always in a position where I had to keep performing to prove things wrong.”
Shankar has 3702 First Class runs to his name in 95 innings, averaging 45.14. He has 11 hundreds and 22 fifties under his belt. The right-arm pacer has taken 43 wickets at an average of 53.93.
