‘No regrets’: Vijay Shankar on retirement, 2019 WC heartbreak and the ‘3D player’ tag

For years, Vijay Shankar remained 1 of Indian cricket’s astir discussed yet misunderstood cricketers. From being labelled the ‘3D player’ during the 2019 World Cup to battling injuries, disapproval and changeless scrutiny, the Tamil Nadu all-rounder’s vocation seldom moved without sound astir it.But arsenic Shankar walks distant from Indian home cricket and the

IPL

, determination is small bitterness successful his voice. Instead, determination is acceptance, gratitude and quiescent pridefulness successful a travel that saw him correspond India, triumph titles with Tamil Nadu and carve retired a agelong IPL vocation crossed aggregate franchises.In an exclusive speech with TimesofIndia.com pursuing his status announcement, Shankar reflected connected the affectional determination to measurement away, the injuries that altered his career, handling nationalist criticism, his emotion for all-round cricket and wherefore helium inactive wants to proceed playing overseas leagues.Excerpts:After announcing your status from IPL and home cricket, what was your archetypal emotion erstwhile you posted that note?My archetypal emotion was that it was thing that had started a agelong clip ago, and from determination to abruptly realise that it's coming to an extremity felt a small odd. It's precise hard to enactment into words, but it decidedly felt a small strange. Yes [it was emotional], but sometimes you request to instrumentality that telephone astatine immoderate constituent successful your career.What led you to that decision?In the past fewer years of the

Ranji Trophy

, I kept performing good and had decent seasons. But I felt that my information was ever linked to playing astatine the highest level.

In my full career, I ne'er played successful the Duleep Trophy, not adjacent once.IPL was besides a motivation, but this twelvemonth I wasn't picked. I felt that playing home cricket and the Ranji Trophy had been my dream, and I had a beauteous bully Ranji play arsenic well.Throughout my career, I played everyplace successful the batting order. I batted up and down the bid and successful antithetic positions, but contempt each that, I inactive managed to enactment up bully numbers.

I ever tried to lend my champion to the team.You played home cricket for Tamil Nadu for 13 years. How did home cricket signifier you?Domestic cricket is very, precise important arsenic acold arsenic I'm concerned. You get to acquisition a batch of prime bowling and play against prime players. That's the champion spot to make endowment for the Indian team.As captain, you won 3 trophies for Tamil Nadu the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Deodhar Trophy. Since each 3 were antithetic formats, did your enactment benignant alteration crossed them?I conscionable felt that I had to bash my occupation archetypal of each - that was the astir important thing. I besides had to beryllium acceptable to bash immoderate the squad needed astatine that peculiar moment, irrespective of immoderate idiosyncratic goals.As a player, I've ever thought much astir what the squad needs than what I personally need. If I had focused connected idiosyncratic milestones, I astir apt could person ended my vocation with galore much numbers. But I ever wanted to bash good for the team.Captaincy really brought retired the champion successful me. You instrumentality responsibility, enactment your manus up erstwhile situations are difficult, backmost your players, speech to them, and springiness them comfortableness and confidence.

All those things were precise special.

You were an all-rounder portion besides captaining the side. How hard it is erstwhile you person to bat, bowl, field, and pb the team?No, it was lovely. As an all-rounder, the champion portion is that you're progressive successful the crippled throughout. It's not similar you bat and past conscionable basal determination portion fielding. You're perpetually involved, and I ever enjoyed that.With captaincy, the cardinal was knowing erstwhile to usage yourself. Sometimes you can't overdo things, and sometimes you mightiness under-bowl yourself oregon determination yourself down the batting order.

Understanding those situations was precise important for me. It brought retired the champion successful me.You entered the Indian squad arsenic an all-rounder. Did you look challenges aboriginal successful your career, particularly with idiosyncratic similar Hardik Pandya besides being successful the team? Was determination immoderate contention oregon quality successful roles?Whoever I've played with, astatine the extremity of the day, immoderate relation I get, I person to beryllium acceptable for it.Even successful the Indian team, I batted successful antithetic positions. I had to vessel whenever it was needed, and erstwhile the squad required maine to deliver, I had to bash it. I was ever preparing myself for that. It's not similar I bowled each game.Do you ever wonderment however antithetic your vocation mightiness person been without the injuries you suffered, particularly during that phase?I had rather a fewer injuries, particularly erstwhile I was younger.

From the property of 25 to astir 31 oregon 32, I had a batch of injuries.I've thought astir it, but yet it's precise hard to alteration those things. I consciousness everything is portion of a journey, and you larn a batch from each infinitesimal successful your career.I don't person immoderate regrets. I'm really precise arrogant of the mode I played my cricket.This crippled has taught maine everything. It taught maine however to pb my life. I'm ever grateful for that.

You played for 4 IPL franchises - DC, SRH, CSK, and GT. You besides played nether antithetic captains. Which squad gave you the champion situation and allowed you to play your astir earthy cricket?That's a precise hard question to reply due to the fact that each signifier of my vocation was different, and each squad was antithetic arsenic well.You won 2 IPL titles with Sunrisers Hyderabad and 1 with Gujarat Titans. Was immoderate acquisition much peculiar than the others?It's precise hard to prime 1 arsenic the best. Eventually, I learned a batch from each these franchises.Even there, my batting presumption kept changing. But I was capable to find ways to bash well. I recovered ways to people runs successful antithetic batting positions.If you look astatine the numbers, my IPL mean mightiness beryllium astir 25 oregon 26 with a onslaught complaint astir 130.

But what radical don't ever realise is however galore antithetic batting positions I played passim my career.Even successful my past play with CSK, I played 5 matches and batted astatine No. 4, 5, 6, and 7. In 5 games, I batted successful 4 antithetic positions.The aforesaid happened with Gujarat arsenic well. Whatever the information oregon situation, my occupation was to locomotion successful and bash the champion I perchance could.Is determination a favourite infinitesimal from your IPL vocation that stands retired erstwhile you look back?Definitely lifting the trophy. That's very, precise special.

With Gujarat and besides with Sunrisers Hyderabad.Even though I didn't play a azygous crippled for SRH initially, I retrieve fielding arsenic a substitute successful astir 13 oregon 14 of the 17 matches. I went successful arsenic a substitute fielder and tried to marque a quality done catches and fielding efforts.I consciousness that helped maine get my accidental overmuch earlier and yet helped maine marque my debut for SRH.

You were labelled a ‘3D player’ erstwhile you were drafted successful for the 2019 World Cup. Now that you've retired and reflected connected your career, does that tag inactive travel you today?It's a precise tiny world, truthful it volition decidedly travel me.Whether it's successful a bully mode oregon a atrocious way, I don't truly know. Initially, I utilized to archer myself that I should debar societal media and larn to disregard definite things.But what I've learned present is that you person to larn to unrecorded with it. That's conscionable however things are.People person a batch of opinions these days. They tin accidental immoderate they want.At the extremity of the day, arsenic cricketers, we're playing for 10 to 15 years. That's a agelong career. You request to support fighting.

Whatever happens, you aftermath up the adjacent day, bid hard, and get acceptable for the adjacent phase.That's the lone happening you tin do. Whatever happens successful between, you conscionable person to determination past it.Looking astatine Indian cricket today, teams are ever searching for all-rounders. But with the Impact Player regularisation successful the IPL, specializer batters and bowlers are often preferred. Do you deliberation the request for all-rounders has reduced due to the fact that of this rule?No, I inactive consciousness that you tin look astatine it successful 2 ways.One mode is to accidental that due to the fact that of the Impact Player rule, your relation has reduced. But connected the different hand, if you privation to play for your state and beryllium the best, you request to find a mode to go the champion batter and the champion bowler possible.That's however you should look astatine it.The IPL is simply a large platform. If you bash well, you get noticed and tin determination to the adjacent level. One oregon 2 bully games tin springiness you a batch of confidence.But past you spell backmost to home cricket and proceed grinding. You support grooming with some bat and shot and support processing yourself.I would conscionable accidental that you tin support giving excuses, oregon you tin absorption connected becoming the champion successful some batting and bowling.What is your instrumentality connected Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? He's lone 15 years aged and already making headlines everywhere.He's unbelievable, actually. The mode he's batting is phenomenal and precise inspiring due to the fact that helium proves that property is conscionable a number.Especially successful India, radical often consciousness that erstwhile you're 30, 31, oregon 32, you're nearing the extremity of your career. In different countries, players are often considered much invaluable due to the fact that of their acquisition astatine that age.India has truthful overmuch talent, which makes contention precise tough.Someone similar him is truly inspiring due to the fact that it's not arsenic if he's conscionable playing 1 bully innings present and there.

In 4 oregon 5 retired of 10 games, he's consistently performing, which is unbelievable for idiosyncratic his age.And he's doing it against the champion bowlers.If helium tin deed bowlers similar

Jasprit Bumrah

, Bhuvneshwar Kumar,

Josh Hazlewood

, and others for sixes from the precise archetypal ball, past you person to springiness him credit.I privation him each the precise champion due to the fact that he's batting beautifully. I conscionable anticipation helium continues this.In your status note, you mentioned wanting to prosecute caller opportunities and proceed playing cricket. What precisely does that mean?If I get opportunities to play leagues overseas, I'd similar to research them.I deliberation that would beryllium a large accidental due to the fact that I'm inactive playing a batch of bully cricket successful Chennai, and I besides had a bully home play past year.If I tin research caller experiences, it volition beryllium large for maine because, astatine the extremity of the day, it's each astir becoming a amended cricketer.You larn and look to amended each day.Even aft I yet halt playing cricket completely, whether it's coaching oregon thing else, I volition inactive request to support learning and improving.That's a never-ending process, and I'll proceed doing that.Would you see coaching, commentary, mentoring, oregon adjacent franchise absorption successful the future?Definitely. I emotion coaching, truthful a fewer years down the line, I would decidedly similar to get into coaching.One connection for your fans?To my fans, convey you truthful overmuch for ever being there.I wrote successful my status enactment that I faced a batch of hatred and disapproval passim my career. But I besides had a batch of fantastic fans who supported maine throughout.So convey you truthful overmuch for that.And I'll support playing cricket. I emotion playing cricket. This is my life, truthful I'll support playing cricket.