Former Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar has said not getting a secure feeling from the state selectors as the reason for making a last-minute switch to Tripura ahead of the upcoming domestic season. Vijay, who led Tamil Nadu to three white-ball titles, announced his decision to move away from the state in between the ongoing Buchi Babu Tournament. After playing the first match, he was dropped for the second, before he applied for a no-objection certificate from Tamil Nadu Cricket Association bringing to an end a 13-year association.
“Except for TNCA officials I never got any secure feeling when it comes to the selectors or whoever was there,” Vijay said. “So, at one point, I decided I need to take a call. I was happy that at least our coach (M Senthilnathan) came up and told what they were thinking. So, I felt after a point, there is no point staying here, and trying to still fight it out to play in this setup was quite difficult. I thought, ‘okay, I should move on’ and look out for opportunities,” Vijay said on Thursday.
When pressed what compelled him to move elsewhere, Vijay replied: “Please ask the selectors and let me know.” Chairman of selectors K Vasudevadas was unavailable for a response despite repeated attempts.
Since the start of the last Ranji season, Vijay has been in and out of the side. After being dropped for the first two Ranji fixtures, he was also dropped midway through their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Following discussions with the state association earlier this season, he had decided to stay put and was included in the Buchi Babu squad, before being dropped for the second game.
“I mean never,” Vijay said if he was looking for an opportunity elsewhere. “Last year I got dropped for the first two (Ranji) games, and I made a comeback. Then Syed Mushtaq Ali, I was dropped for the last two games. After that, it was quite tough. But this year, I thought, ‘okay, things will be fine’, because I did well last year. But again, you need some clarity at some point. I was not getting that clarity. I was also part of Buchi Babu. I was playing the game and I had to take this call. Because, you know, I was forced to take this call,” Vijay, who was part of India’s 2019 World Cup team, said.
Middle-order pillar
Since making his first-class debut in December 2012, Vijay has been an integral member of the Tamil Nadu squad across all formats, forming the core of the team’s middle-order. On the back of his performances in the 2014-15 season, where he scored 577 runs in 11 innings at an average of 57.70, he came in the national radar before earning a maiden call-up to the Test squad and continued to be a part of India A set-up. “To decide on this was quite tough, because I’ve played almost 20 — from U-13 — I can say 23 years for Tamil Nadu. Since 2011, I’ve been part of the first-class team. So, definitely, it was not an easy call. But, sometimes when you’re forced to take that call, you need to move on and look out for opportunities. Because, I think I have 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 some water. It’s quite difficult after playing for so many years,” Vijay, who scored 3142 runs in 81 Ranji innings at an average of 44.25 including 11 centuries and 16 fifties, said.
After being dropped from the first two Ranji matches last season, he made a strong comeback, scoring a century in the second innings to help TN draw against Chhattisgarh. Then he scored a career-best 150 in their win over Chandigarh. But for the last few seasons an axe had constantly hung over his head.
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“I think you all know pretty well that this has been the case for me. So, that’s why I said this was a great experience for me. I could have easily told them that I need to bat at a certain batting position. Even if you take the last three years, I think in 2022 is when I batted at one batting position, where I batted at six every game and I got three consecutive hundreds there. But after that, if you see, from three to seven, I batted everywhere. So, there is no explanation to this. But I can say, all these things have made me a better cricketer. It made me really tough. I was always in a position where I had to keep performing to prove things wrong. Things like this actually, sometimes get the best out of yourself,” he added.
Vijay now heads to Tripura, a setup totally different from Tamil Nadu. In Tripura, he would be joined by Hanuma Vihari and Swapnil Singh, the side’s other two professionals. “Whatever I have faced in my career, I think those things will definitely help. Because, the most important thing for me is to share what I have learnt. So, if I am sharing something, then I will be very confident about whatever I say. Definitely, looking forward to sharing my knowledge, share my experience. Looking forward to actually getting to learn from them as well. Because they have a different culture there.Yeah. It’s very important to learn that also. Learning is something that’s never ending. I will keep doing that,” he added.
