Chennai: Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), bringing the curtain down on a career that saw him represent India across formats and feature in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Career Highlights
A dependable all-rounder for Tamil Nadu over the years, Shankar represented India in 12 ODIs and nine T20Is, scoring a combined 324 runs and taking nine wickets. In the 2019 ODI World Cup, he famously picked up a wicket with his very first ball in the tournament against Pakistan before a toe injury cut short his campaign.
Across domestic cricket, Shankar compiled impressive numbers of 4,253 runs and 43 wickets in 77 first-class matches, 2,790 runs and 73 wickets in List A cricket, and 2,583 runs with 38 wickets in T20s. In the IPL, he scored 1,233 runs in 78 matches while representing Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. He moved to Tripura ahead of the 2025-26 season and scored an unbeaten 151 in his last Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat.
Emotional Farewell
Speaking after announcing his decision, the 35-year-old admitted retirement was not an easy call to make. “I have been thinking about retirement for some time. It is not an easy thing to decide, and it took time for me to arrive at it. Eventually, I felt this was the right time to take the call,” Shankar told TOI.
Looking back at his journey, the all-rounder said every phase of his career remained memorable. “The journey was quite long, and I really enjoyed every small hurdle I crossed. Injuries, setbacks, representing the country, changing from offspin to medium pace quite late in my career, everything feels very special when I look back now.”
For Shankar, the highest point of his career was representing the country, getting the India cap and playing in the World Cup. Interestingly, he refused to term any phase of his career as the “lowest point”, saying setbacks only helped him grow stronger.
“As cricketers, failures are part of the game. Every injury and setback taught me something. I don’t see them as low points. I see them as learnings that helped me move forward,” he said.
One of the performances Shankar still cherishes is his maiden ODI innings against New Zealand in Wellington, where he scored 45 after India had slipped to 18-4.
Addressing Criticism
Shankar also addressed the criticism and trolling he faced during the 2019 World Cup selection controversy, when he was picked ahead of Ambati Rayudu. In his farewell note, he signed off as a “3D Cricketer”, referencing the tag that became synonymous with him during that period.
“There will always be opinions and criticism. Earlier, I used to think players should ignore it. But now I feel cricketers have to learn to live with it because you cannot completely avoid seeing it,” he said.
Future Plans
Though his BCCI-affiliated career has ended, Shankar made it clear he is not done with cricket yet. “I still feel I have a lot of cricket left in me. Hopefully, I can play for a few more years in overseas leagues if opportunities come. I want to explore more cricket in the coming years,” he signed off.
