3D Vijay Shankar May Switch Teams In Bid To Stage Comeback To Indian Team

All-rounder Vijay Shankar, who represented India at the 2019 World Cup but fell out of favor soon after, said he needs chances to bat up the order for Tamil Nadu and may not rule out switching to a di

In the absence of Pandya the bowler there have been suggestions that the TN pace bowling all-rounder should be drafted back into the squad.

However, in recent times, Shankar's batting has been a bit below par for both his state team Tamil Nadu in domestic tournaments as well as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League. He played seven matches each in 2020 and 2021 but aggregated only 97 and 58 runs respectively. He scored 69 in two Ranji games.

"I don't compare myself with others. I have been bowling well for my franchise. But I have not had a very good time with the bat. Last season in IPL, out of five innings, I walked in four times with the team chasing 10 or 12 an over. It is a challenge for anyone to take on the bowlers from the start."

Shankar said that he got picked into India reckoning, both for A and senior sides, on the basis of his performances with the bat when he walked in at No. 5.

"I got into India reckoning after I performed with the bat at No. 5, I want to be in the game all the time. I have thought about changing my state team so that I can get to bat at either No. 4 or No. 5. But let us see. I hope Tamil Nadu pushes me up the order," added Shankar.

A few injuries over the years have affected his career. "I am working on my fitness. I did well with the ball recently in IPL. I need to keep pushing myself. I have to keep my fitness level high. The challenge is to keep pushing."