"Easy to say that you should just ignore those noises, but it is not possible" - Vijay Shankar on '3D' jibes

Vijay Shankar has opened up on the jibes he faced following his underwhelming 2019 ODI World Cup campaign in England. The Indian seam-bowling all-rounder admitted he found it difficult to deal with and ignore the noises about his struggles.

Led by MSK Prasad, the selection committee chose Shankar over Ambati Rayudu to bat at No. 4, citing the former as a '3D' player.

Shankar started his tournament with an unbeaten 15 against Pakistan and snared a wicket off his first ball. He made 29 and 14 against Afghanistan and West Indies, respectively, before a toe injury ruled him out of the competition.

Speaking to Sportstar, Shankar conceded that in this age of social media, it has become almost impossible not to come across the trolls, but felt those struggles have made him stronger as he found a way to bounce back. He explained:

"It was very difficult initially. It is very easy to say that you should just ignore those noises, but it is not possible. With social media around, you tend to read everything, it goes into your mind. Those days, I must say, made me stronger. I have seen things happening to MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and all the top players - people don’t even spare them.

"People appreciate them when things are going fine, but come hard at them in tough times. People who go through it know how difficult it is. I started thinking about what best I could do and not think about other stuff."

The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has been in decent form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, scoring 201 runs in four matches at an average of 40.20, with one fifty and a hundred to his name. He has also claimed three scalps.

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"My strength has always been to push it forward even when things are tough" - Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar. (Image Credits: Getty)

Shankar also recalled the challenging phase after undergoing shoulder surgery that ruled him out of IPL 2022. He credited his family for helping him overcome those odds, adding:

"My strength has always been to push it forward even when things are tough. But I realized that I was somehow missing that hunger and was just going with the flow. After surgery, it was tough for me to watch people play cricket. It was even difficult to just follow the scores.

"For a cricketer, that’s the most difficult part because you keep a tab on all the scores - including the first division league. With the support of my family, I could overcome that phase. I have a one-year-old baby now. Everything put together, I could do it."

Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) have retained the all-rounder ahead of IPL 2023 despite a forgettable previous season.

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