Kolkata: Vijay Shankar, India’s batting all-rounder, is not in any way losing his sleep thinking about a certain Hardik Pandya and possible comparisons and competition with the in-form cricketer as he prepares to join the Indian team for the second Test against Sri Lanka in Nagpur.
“Pandya has done well so far and his rise has been amazing. I am not thinking about any sort of competition. It’s not about competing with anyone but improving on a personal front and trying to cement a place in the starting XI,” Vijay said in a telephonic interview.
Vijay has featured regularly over the past three years in the India A set-up under coach and batting great Rahul Dravid.
“I had just come back home from Indore when I got the news and I was very happy. It’s a dream come true moment for me to get a call-up from the Indian team,” gushed Vijay who averages 49.14 in first-class cricket with five hundreds and 10 fifties.
Vijay was involved in Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.
“I got a call from MSK Prasad sir (chairman of the selectors). He said: ‘You will get an official mail soon.’ Till I got the mail, I was anxious as it was hard for me to believe. I was waiting for the mail, which landed around 9pm. I was over the moon then and so was my family,” Vijay said.
