Wanted to bat Chandigarh out of the game: Vijay Shankar

Wanted to bat Chandigarh out of the game: Vijay Shankar

There’s no better way to usher in your 35th birthday than by scoring a sublime century — also your highest-ever first-class score — in the country’s premier tournament, the Ranji Trophy.

Vijay Shankar accomplished this feat on Saturday, just a day before his birthday, with invaluable support from Tamil Nadu’s ever-reliable N. Jagadeesan, against Chandigarh. The pair’s 152-run partnership set up the host’s 209-run win on the final day on Sunday.

Speaking to The Hindu, the two reflected on their crucial partnership.

“The wicket was doing a bit in the morning. Especially when Jagjit (Singh) was bowling, it was seaming. So credit to him for bowling that line, even with a 100-run lead it wasn’t a comfortable situation.

“The partnership between Jaggi and I was very crucial. We were very clear, we wanted to run well between the wickets, we wanted to keep rotating the strike, and not give it away. Once we got our eye in, we started playing our shots.”

“I wanted to take the lead over 350 or 370 and put them under pressure. I wanted to make sure that they don’t come back into the game,” said Vijay Shankar. Run scoring was not easy in the morning as it was doing a bit. They were bowling in pretty good areas.

“When Vijay came in, I thought if we buy some time and stay at the crease for a bit, I was sure we’ll start scoring with ease. Once we got our eye in, we just wanted to keep extending the lead as much as possible,” said Jagadeesan.