Exclusive Interview | ‘No regrets’: Vijay Shankar on retirement, World Cup 2019 grief and ‘3D player’ tag

Over the years, Vijay Shankar remained one of the most talked about yet misunderstood cricketers in India. From being labeled a ‘3D player’ at the 2019 World Cup to battling injuries, criticism and constant scrutiny, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder’s career has rarely been without noise.But as Shankar walks away from Indian domestic cricket and the IPL, there is no bitterness in his voice. Instead, there is acceptance, gratitude and quiet pride in the journey he has taken to represent India, win titles with Tamil Nadu and forge a long IPL career across multiple franchises.In an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com after announcing his retirement, Shankar reflected on the emotional decision to retire, the injuries that changed his career, handling public criticism, his love for all-round cricket and why he still wants to play overseas leagues.excerpts:After announcing your retirement from the IPL and domestic cricket, what were your first emotions when you released this note?My first emotion was that it was something that started a long time ago, and from there suddenly realizing that it was coming to an end was a bit strange. It’s very hard to put into words, but it definitely felt a little strange. Yes (it was emotional) but sometimes at some point in your career you have to take that call.What led you to that decision?I have performed well and had decent seasons in the last few years of Ranji Trophy. But I felt that my motivation was always linked to playing at the highest level. In my entire career, I have never played in the Duleep Trophy, even once.IPL was also a motivation but I was not selected this year. I felt playing domestic cricket and Ranji Trophy was my dream and I had a pretty good Ranji season as well.I have played all over the batting order during my career. I’ve been batting up and down the order and at different positions, but through it all I’ve still managed to hit good numbers. I always tried to contribute my best to the team.You played domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu for 13 years. How has domestic cricket shaped you?Domestic cricket is very, very important as far as I am concerned. You will experience a lot of quality bowling and play against quality players. This is the best place to develop talent for the Indian team.As captain, you have won three trophies for Tamil Nadu – Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. Since all three were different formats, did your management style change across them?I just felt that I had to do my job first – that was the most important thing. I also had to be ready to do whatever the team needed at the time, regardless of any individual goals.As a player, I’ve always thought more about what the team needs than what I need personally. If I had focused on personal milestones, I probably could have ended my career with a lot more numbers. But I always wanted to do well for the team.Captain actually brought out the best in me. You take responsibility, raise your hand when situations are difficult, support your players, talk to them and give them comfort and confidence. All those things were very strange.

Vijay Shankar home stats

You were versatile and captained the team at the same time. How hard is it when you have to bat, bowl, field and lead the team?No, it was beautiful. As an all-around player, it is best that you are engaged in the game all the time. It’s not like you hit yourself and then just stand around while you’re fielding. You are always involved and I always enjoyed that.Knowing when to use yourself was key with the captain. Sometimes you can’t overdo it, and sometimes you can get bogged down or move down the batting order. Understanding these situations was very important to me. It brought out the best in me.You entered the Indian team as an all-rounder. Did you face challenges early in your career, especially with someone like you? Hardik Pandya be on the team too? Was there any competition or difference in roles?Whatever role I get, whoever I end up acting with, I have to be ready for it.I have batted in different positions in the Indian team as well. I had to pitch whenever needed and when the team demanded I deliver, I had to. I always prepared for it. It’s not like I throw every game.Have you ever wondered how different your career might have been without the injuries you sustained, especially during this phase?I had quite a few injuries, especially when I was younger. From the age of 25 to about 31 or 32, I had a lot of injuries.I thought about it, but in the end it’s very hard to change those things. I feel that everything is part of the journey and you learn a lot from every moment in your career.I have no regrets. I am actually very proud of the way I played cricket.This game taught me everything. It taught me how to lead my life. I am always grateful for that.

Vijay Shankar International Statistics

You have played for four IPL franchises – DC, SRH, CSK and GT. You have also played under different captains. Which team gave you the best environment and allowed you to play your most natural cricket?That’s a very difficult question to answer because every phase of my career has been different and every team has been different as well.You have won two IPL titles with Sunrisers Hyderabad and one with Gujarat Titans. Was any experience more special than the others?It is very difficult to choose one as the best. I ended up learning a lot from all these franchises.Even there my batting position kept changing. But I was able to find ways to do it well. I found ways to score runs in different batting positions.If you look at the numbers, my IPL average might be around 25 or 26 with a strike rate of around 130. But people don’t always realize how many different batting positions I’ve played in my career.Even in my last season at CSK, I played five matches and batted at No. 4, 5, 6 and 7. I batted at four different positions in the five matches.The same happened with Gujarat. Whatever the conditions or the situation, my job was to go in and do the best I could.Is there a favorite moment from your IPL career that stands out when you look back?Definitely lift the trophy. This is very, very strange. With Gujarat and also with Sunrisers Hyderabad.Although I didn’t play a single match for SRH initially, I remember coming on as a substitute in about 13 or 14 out of 17 matches. I came in as a substitute fielder and tried to make a difference through catches and effort in the field.I feel it helped me get the opportunity much earlier and ultimately helped me make my SRH debut.

Vijay Shakar IPL Stats

When you were drafted for the 2019 World Cup, you were labeled a “3D player”. Now that you’ve retired and are thinking about your career, does that brand still follow you today?It’s a very small world, so I’m sure he’ll follow.Whether that’s in a good or bad way, I don’t really know. At first I thought I should avoid social media and learn to ignore certain things.But now I have learned that you have to learn to live with it. That’s the way things are.People have a lot of opinions these days. They can say what they want.At the end of the day, as cricketers, we play for 10 to 15 years. That’s a long career. You have to keep fighting. No matter what happens, you wake up the next day, train hard and get ready for the next stage.That’s the only thing you can do. Whatever happens in between, you just have to get over it.Looking at Indian cricket today, teams are always looking for all-rounders. But with the Impact Player rule in the IPL, special batsmen and bowlers are often preferred. Do you think the demand for all-rounders has decreased because of this rule?No, I still feel like you can look at it two ways.One way is to say that because of the Impact Player rule, your role has been reduced. But on the other hand, if you want to play for your country and be the best, you have to find a way to become the best batsman and the best bowler.That’s how you should look at it.IPL is a great platform. If you do well, you’ll get noticed and move on to the next level. One or two good games can give you a lot of confidence.But then you go back to domestic cricket and keep grinding. You are still training with bat and ball and you are constantly developing.I would just say that you can keep making excuses or you can focus on becoming the best in both batting and bowling.What is your opinion Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? He is only 15 years old and already making headlines everywhere.He’s actually incredible. The way he bats is phenomenal and very inspiring as it proves that age is just a number.Especially in India, people often feel that once you’re 30, 31 or 32, it’s almost the end of your career. In other countries, players are often considered more valuable because of their experience at this age.India has so much talent so the competition is very tough.Someone like him is really inspirational because it’s not like he just plays one good innings every now and then. He’s been consistent in four or five out of ten games, which is incredible for someone his age.And he does it against the best pitchers.If he can hit bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and others for sixes from the first ball, you have to give him credit for that.I wish him all the best because he is batting beautifully. I just hope he keeps it up.In your retirement note, you mentioned that you want to pursue new opportunities and continue playing cricket. what does that mean exactly?If I get opportunities to play overseas leagues, I would like to explore them.I think it would be a great opportunity because I am still playing very good cricket in Chennai and I had a good domestic season last year as well.If I can explore new experiences it will be great for me because at the end of the day it’s about becoming a better cricketer.You are learning and trying to improve every day.Even after I stop playing cricket completely, be it coaching or anything else, I will still have to learn and improve.It is a never-ending process and I will continue to do so.Would you consider coaching, commentating, mentoring or even running a franchise in the future?Definitely. I love coaching, so in a few years I would definitely like to pursue coaching.One message for your fans?To my fans, thank you so much for always being here.I wrote in my retirement post that I faced a lot of hate and criticism throughout my career. But I also had a lot of amazing fans who supported me the whole time.So thank you very much for that.And I will continue to play cricket. I like to play cricket. This is my life so I will continue to play cricket.