CHENNAI: Every time Vijay Shankar is up and running, he runs into a spade of bad luck in the form of injuries. From being a part and parcel of a sportsman's life, the all-rounder has seen injuries become a roadblock, so much so, that each comeback in itself feels like an achievement given the toll it takes on the body and mind.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, across two editions of the IPL in the 2020/21 and domestic season, Vijay Shankar has played only one match because of injury, personal and quarantine reasons. The time spent on the sideline means, not only have other players gone up in the pecking order, he is a forgotten man.
As India's senior men's domestic season gets underway on Thursday with the Syed Mustaq Ali T20s, to say it is an important one for Vijay is an understatement. Captaining Tamil Nadu, one of the favourites to win the title, will also add to the pressure. On the eve of TN's opening match against Maharashtra, Vijay is not only at his usual calm self, but he is enjoying being back amongst his teammates. He is captaining a side that is brimming with talent in N Jagadeesan, Hari Nishaanth, Baba Aparajith, J Koushik, R Sai Kishore, Sai Sudharshan, Sandeep Warrier, Shahrukh Khan, M Siddharth, who all will be watched with interest by IPL scouts with player auction around the corner.
“Thanks to our support staff, we had good preparation. I'm enjoying a lot more with this current bunch and spending more time with the boys, which itself is a new thing for me. Usually, you tend to spend time with only three-four, but it is very rare for us to mingle together with everyone in the team. Now the time is for us to work harder, get better and try and win matches,” Vijay said.
In the time he spent away nursing injury, Vijay got married, and on October 30, he became a father for the first time with the arrival of his son. Since he has been staying in a bio-secure bubble in Lucknow, he was unable to be with his wife, and will only be back home in Chennai once the tournament ends.
“The marriage and fatherhood have taught me there is more to life than cricket. Looking back, I was being too serious about cricket, was blaming myself for everything that was going wrong. I've let those thoughts go away and I'm enjoying whatever I do.”
Since being dropped from the Indian team, Vijay at times has appeared desperate to get back, often pushing himself very hard. It has ended up in him putting more pressure, which hasn't helped him to play freely. In the past, Vijay has even tried to put a target on runs he has scored, something he isn't going to attempt this season. “I missed a lot of matches, but in the opportunities I got, I could have done better. I tried too hard, was thinking too much about creating a difference and scoring those extra runs to break into the team. Everyone who has played and is dropped will feel the same. But it shouldn't become desperate. I didn't get into the Indian team overnight. I had a consistent run and got picked to the national side. So I need to do that again before I even think of an India call-up. Now, I need to enjoy a lot more than what I did when I got into the Tamil Nadu team first. That is all I'm thinking,” Vijay said.