R Prasanna taught us all; had quite an impact on us, reveals Vijay Shankar

The rise of young all rounder Vijay Shankar through the ranks of the Indian side has come to a screeching halt by a string of injuries. The disastrous run was triggered by a toe injury in England which cut short his debut World Cup outing and was followed by a cut in his thumb webbing while representing India A.

The all rounder sharing his journey through the tough time revealed that he was frustrated and disappointed to be sidelined while enjoying success with the senior side.

“I don’t want to crib about those injuries but, at times, I have felt why God is so harsh on me. It was probably to test me and make me a stronger person that I am now today,” Shankar told Sportstar.

Lying on the recovery table at frequent intervals can break hearts and careers, but in Vijay Shankar's case it has made him appreciate the good times and make the most of them.

“I learnt it all from R. Prasanna (current assistant coach). I have seen him play those important knocks early on in my career and I went up to seek his guidance though the Tamil Nadu squad had some big names in the list,” said Vijay, whose journey with the state squad began eight years ago.

“The other players did outstanding things, but I must admit that it was Prasanna’s special contribution that had an impact on me,” he added.

Shankar came back strongly as he picked up from where he left in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) helping Chepauk Super Gillies lift the trophy. The allrounder then played important roles in Tamil Nadu’s impressive run to the finals of both Syed Mustaq Ali trophy and Vijay Hazare trophy and was rewarded with the captaincy of the side for this season of the Ranji Trophy.