India’s ‘3D cricketer’ Vijay Shankar retires from domestic cricket, IPL

NEW DELHI: Former India allrounder Vijay Shankar has announced his retirement from domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL), bringing down the curtain on a professional career that spanned over a decade across the domestic circuit, IPL and international cricket.

The 35-year-old made the announcement through a heartfelt post on social media, saying he wanted to pursue “new opportunities and play more cricket” after stepping away from the domestic circuit. “Cricket is my life. I started playing when I was 10 and 25 years later, I am grateful and blessed to have played at every level and to the highest level. Representing our country will always be one of my proudest and happiest moments,” Vijay wrote.

A product of Tamil Nadu’s strong domestic structure, Vijay debuted for his home state in 2012 and went on to represent them for 13 seasons before moving to Tripura for the 2025-26 campaign. Across formats, he featured in 77 first-class matches, scoring 4253 runs and taking 43 wickets. He also played 112 List A games and 159 T20s in domestic cricket.

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— Vijay Shankar (@vijayshankar260) May 22, 2026

Vijay represented India in 12 ODIs and nine T20Is between 2018 and 2019 after earning recognition as a seam-bowling all-rounder. He was part of India’s squad for the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, where he memorably dismissed Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq with his very first delivery at the tournament after replacing an injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar mid-over.

“Bowling the last over at India’s 500th ODI at Nagpur and my first ball first wicket at the 2019 World Cup are moments I will hold onto forever,” he said while thanking the BCCI and the Indian team management.

In the IPL, Vijay played for Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. He scored 1233 runs in the league, with his best season coming in 2023 when he amassed 301 runs at a strike rate of over 160. He was part of Gujarat Titans’ title-winning squad in 2022 before returning to CSK in 2025 for his final IPL season.

Vijay also addressed the criticism he faced during his career, particularly after being labelled the “3D player” during India’s 2019 World Cup selection debates. “I have faced unreal hate and negativity. Let me take this opportunity to let you know that I chose to ignore and move forward. If I can do that, anyone can. Think positive and work hard,” he wrote in his retirement post.

Signing off his statement, Vijay embraced the moniker that once followed him throughout his career, calling himself: “Your 3D cricketer, Vijay Shankar”. (ANI)