Vijay Shankar

“I was actually a top-order batsman when I played league cricket in Tamil Nadu. When I made my Ranji debut, I had to bat down the order.”

“Be it high or low, it doesn't matter. I need to stay calm and neutral all the time.”

“I don't wait for someone to appreciate me for what I am doing.”

“I feel that if the situation arises when the skipper hands me the ball, I should be confident that I can do the job, and only then will that translate into performance.”

“Everybody has positives and negatives. I just want to learn and keep getting better.”

“The pressure will always be there. If we enjoy the pressure, then we will be able to do well, but if we put ourselves under pressure, then we can get into trouble.”

“My brother, Ajay, who plays lower-division games, and I discuss cricket often.”

“I love hitting those big sixes.”

“I always look to get better in all three aspects of the game. I know I can keep getting better.”

“I would definitely say the Nidahas Trophy was a life-changing experience as a cricketer for me.”

“Anyone can go for runs any day.”

“If you can prepare yourself to the best of your abilities and react to the situation, things will fall into place.”

“I have put in a lot of work on my bowling.”

“There are times I do single wicket bowling, and there are times I try, practise, hitting a specific length.”

“I am not shy when it comes to asking questions.”

“In the past, whenever I had a niggle, I would ignore it and let it heal on its own. Now, I tell the physio that I am facing some difficulty.”

“I'm now comfortable bowling long spells. Strength training has brought the pace up.”

“There's a difference between batting at number four position and batting in the lower order.”

“Obviously, if I start bowling more, I will get better. To bowl more, I must be effective whenever I get to bowl - it doesn't matter if it is the 40th or the 100th over.”

“The only thing that we can do is to work on all the aspects of our game.”