'Vijay Shankar has definitely struggled' - Ravi Ashwin highlights one area the all-rounder needs to focus on

The debate of batting all-rounder in the limited-overs format for team India never seems to die down. Often the former Indian skippers such as Sourav Ganguly MS Dhoni and the current one Virat Kohli have stressed the importance of having one in the team. Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav were doing it before the former injured his back which does not allow him to bowl and the latter has fallen off the selectors’ radar.

Vijay Shankar was drafted in the squad just for the same in the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup but he too could not quite seal the all-rounder spot and is now struggling to make a comeback in the team. Ravi Ashwin his Tamil Nadu teammate gave an interesting insight on the same and stated that injuries have hampered Vijay’s progress of a longer run in the team.

Ashwin also shared that how some people are very sensitive towards injuries and added that he too struggled with it before he managed ways to remain fit for a longer period of time.

“Vijay is a fine player who has played 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 told The New Indian Express.

“Vijay Shankar has definitely struggled, but he will find a solution and can get his injuries sorted,” he added.

Ravi Ashwin on Vijay Shankar and Tamil Nadu team

India’s premier off-spinner also stressed the fact that as the age goes up it becomes even harder to stay fit and Vijay is not getting any younger.

“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,” he said.

Ashwin also spoke about his Tamil Nadu team and felt that they need to have a nice blend of youth and experience in the squad if they have to pose a strong threat to other teams.

“So I think we must give right roles and we must balance it with youngsters coming in and seniors. We should look for a way forward, utilize 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 said.