"I can’t just sit out and give water…"- Vijay Shankar breaks silence on parting ways with Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket

Vijay Shankar has joined Tripura team ahead of 2025-26 domestic season.

Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar has broken his silence on parting ways with his state team, Tamil Nadu, in domestic cricket. The right-hander has now joined the Tripura team ahead of the 2025-26 domestic season.

Shankar received his No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and is set to commence in new journey in domestic cricket. Notably, he has been a key player for Tamil Nadu since 2012.

The batting all-rounder scored 3142 runs in 81 innings in the Ranji Trophy for Tamil Nadu at an average of 44.25. He has also hammered 11 centuries and 16 fifties and clinched 43 wickets for the side.

I can’t go out there and just sit out and give water: Vijay Shankar

During a conversation with The Hindu, Shankar revealed that he was frustrated over not getting opportunities and sitting out of the playing XI. Hence, he was forced to part ways with the team.

“Sometimes, when you’re forced to take that call, you need to move on and look out for opportunities. I think I’ve 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 water. It’s quite difficult after playing for so many years,” he said.

Shankar also said that he was not getting any clarity on getting dropped from matches.

“Last year, I got dropped for the first two Ranji games, and then I made a comeback. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, again, I was dropped for the last two games. So, after that, it was quite tough. You need some clarity at some point. I was not getting that clarity,” he added.

“I never got any secure feeling when it comes to the selectors. So, at one point, I decided I needed to take a call. And I was happy that at least our coach (M. Senthilnathan) came up and told what they (the selectors) were thinking. So, I felt that there was no point staying. And trying to still fight it out to play in this setup was quite difficult,” he further said.

Notably, Shankar has also played 12 ODIs and nine T20Is for India. He is currently part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also played for the team in IPL 2025. In Ranji Trophy 2024-25, Shankar slammed his career best of 150 runs in a clash against Chandigarh.

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