CHENNAI: Allrounder
Vijay Shankar may not have earned his debut Test cap in the recently-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka but the Tamil Nadu cricketer has emerged richer with experience after his maiden stint in the Indian dressing-room.
And most importantly, he has been assigned a ‘homework’ of sorts by
India bowling coach Bharat Arun
. The 26-year-old TN limited-overs skipper has earned appreciation from many experts on his batting abilities but the cricketer himself admits that he has quite a few things to improve as a medium-pacer.
Vijay mentioned that Arun, who has helped the current pace bowling crop evolve over the past two years, has suggested a few things to work on including a “bowling grip change” during the off-season.
“Discipline and control were the things I learnt observing the Indian pacers during my stint. I’m improving as a bowler and I need to enhance my skills further. Arun has told me a few things to work on especially the way I grip the ball. I have become better over the years by bowling more. I will try out whatever Arun suggested me in the next few days to get a feel of the change,” Vijay Shankar told TOI.
On the discipline factor, Vijay Shankar explained: “The control with which the pacers executed their plans was a big learning curve for me. I understood how to bowl with control. At times, the pacers bowled with straighter and difficult field set-ups. A slight error would have cost them a four. That discipline was something I learnt.”
Although Vijay Shankar, a livewire on the field, wasn’t part of the playing XI, he was almost a constant fixture in the ground as a substitute. Even as he went about saving runs on the field with some sprawling efforts, Vijay Shankar’s only blemish on the field was a dropped catch off Angelo Mathews at mid-off.
Vijay Shankar said he was “gutted” after he failed to hold on to the ball. “I always try to create an impact on the field with my fielding and being a substitute gave me that chance. I did well on the ground fielding. I wouldn’t say it was a tough catch. I always set high standards on the field but these things happen. I take great pride in fielding.
“Even for Tamil Nadu and in the IPL for Sunrisers, I always wanted to do something special for the team as a substitute. However, the entire team backed me after the drop. They made me feel comfortable, encouraged and I didn’t feel out of place,” said Vijay, who led TN to twin-title wins (Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy) earlier this year.
Vijay Shankar, who averages 49.14 in first-class cricket with the bat, said he picked a lot of things observing how top Indian batsmen such as Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay went about preparing themselves ahead of a Test match.
“My intention was to learn as much as I could from the Indian dressing room. I was observing their preparation methods. During Vijay-Kohli partnership they could have hit a few sixes. But they never lofted a single ball even after 150. I was thinking from outside how I would have approached that situation. I took a lot of cues from their discipline while batting for long periods of time,” said Vijay Shankar.
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