Ravichandran Ashwin pinpoints one area where Vijay Shankar has "definitely struggled"

Ravichandran Ashwin feels Vijay Shankar has struggled with injuries in recent years. But the veteran off-spinner backed the all-rounder to bounce back from his fitness issues, explaining why Tamil Nadu need to have the right blend of youth and experience to succeed.

Vijay Shankar has grabbed headlines numerous times in recent months, with the all-rounder talking about the lack of opportunities he has gotten at the top of the order for Tamil Nadu.

In an interaction with TNIE, Ravichandran Ashwin stressed the importance of backing players who have served Tamil Nadu well over the years.

“Vijay Shankar has definitely struggled, but he will find a solution and can get his injuries sorted. B Indrajith, B Aparajith and Vijay Shankar have been the backbone of Tamil Nadu cricket for a while (5 -8 years), but there are a lot of promising youngsters also coming through. It’s a matter of managing roles and giving seniors the right role,” Ashwin claimed.

'I’m very clear about one thing – my ethics should be right.'@vijayshankar260 opens up about the 3D tag, trolls, batting positions and more @lk_karthikhttps://t.co/IHGexw0ADf pic.twitter.com/Mf6ZBsAVfG

— News18 (@CNNnews18) May 16, 2021

Vijay Shankar has suffered multiple injury setbacks over the years that have prompted the all-rounder to miss out on the action. From a knee injury in 2016 which caused him to miss India A’s tour to Australia to a hamstring injury in 2020, Shankar hasn’t had the best of luck.

The 30-year-old suffered another knock during Tamil Nadu’s first game in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season, and Ravichandran Ashwin emphasized the importance of being sensitive to player injuries.

"Even in the India team, there is constant change in players (senior) in the team and new players come in. You need to strike a balance. Vijay is a fine player who has played in the World Cup and has a lot of experience. He has had a lot of injuries and there is no better person to understand it (injuries) better than me. Sometimes people are not sensitive to injury,” Ashwin said.

Ravichandran Ashwin feels Vijay Shankar still has a role to play for Tamil Nadu

.@vijayshankar260 👉 Jabbed 💉Take your dose of vaccine whenever eligible.#OrangeArmy #OrangeOrNothing pic.twitter.com/XX4d9EvllN

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 30, 2021

Vijay Shankar has admitted that the lack of opportunism has prompted him to ponder a move away from Tamil Nadu, but Ravichandran Ashwin feels the state side would do well to utilize the all-rounder’s experience and manage his fitness.

“It doesn't become easy to manage injuries as you grow old. Vijay is about 30-31 years old and to manage injuries when you get older is harder. So, I think we must give the right roles and we must balance it with youngsters coming in and seniors. We should look for a way forward, utilise Vijay Shankar’s experience and also blend it with the youngsters. It will be good for TN cricket if we strike a good balance and give more opportunities for youngsters,” Ashwin suggested.

With no domestic cricket scheduled for the foreseeable future, it may be a while before we see Vijay Shankar in action. However, the all-rounder will look to make a mark and boost his India chances with a strong showing in the second half of IPL 2021.