Vijay Shankar delighted with team combo

The 27-year-old is keen to grab the opportunity although there remain doubts about his participation as he is part of the India Emerging players squad that will tour England in July. 

“I enjoyed my IPL stint with Delhi Daredevils. It was a whole new experience for me. I’m looking forward to sharing that knowledge with the players at CSG. I will be unavailable for the first few matches but I’m hopeful of playing a part this time. We have succeeded in putting together a balanced team,”  said Vijay Shankar. 

Vijay shrugged off any notions about his team failing in its pursuit of getting the players it wanted. “The Player Draft is one where we can’t come with a fixed mindset. It’s difficult to pick all the players we wanted. I’m happy with the players we acquired. It’s not about individuals and everything boils down to how well we play together. That will define our season,” added the TN limited  overs skipper. 

Talk then veered to the team’s faith in its ability to retain the trophy and Vijay emphasised that getting the process right took precedence over everything else. “It’s too early to talk about that. I attach a lot of importance to doing things in the way they should be done. And once it is taken care of, we will reach where we want to,” pointed out Vijay. 

On the IPL front, his team Delhi Daredevils reconciled itself to collecting another wooden spoon, but from a personal viewpoint Vijay Shankar felt there were signs that he belonged to this level. 

“Our head coach Ricky Ponting and the batting consultant Pravin Amre didn’t tinker too much with my technique. Ponting was happy with my preparation. Towards the end of the IPL, I was able to execute my plans. In the first few matches, I was trying too hard and later on I adapted to my team’s needs and then things fell in place,” analysed Vijay Shankar.