India 'A' all-rounder Vijay Shankar suffers serious injury after hit by a bouncer

What’s the story?

26-year-old all-rounder Vijay Shankar, who was clinical in India A’s astounding victory against South Africa A in the final of the tri-nation cricket tournament, has suffered a shoulder injury in the ongoing Test match series. The right hander will have to take a sabbatical from the game after he was hit by a lethal bouncer during India’s first innings on Day 2.

The Men in Blue, on the other hand, failed to continue their winning momentum as the Proteas clinched the first of the four day Tests by a whopping 235 runs yesterday.

In case you didn't know

The Tami Nadu-born cricketer has been a lynchpin in the state team and led them to twin domestic titles, the Vijay Hazare Cup and Deodhar Trophy earlier this year.

The all-rounder has also plied his trade in the cash-rich IPL, playing for Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad franchises.

The heart of the matter

The Tamil Nadu skipper was batting on 26 when he got hit by the bouncer. He wasn’t fit enough to resume his innings and was eventually declared retired out. In the second innings too, Vijay neither bowl nor walked out to bat.

A source, privy to the incident revealed, “Vijay tried to avoid a bouncer. But he was hit on the right shoulder and couldn't carry on.”

Following the injury, Vijay had undergone a precautionary test on Sunday. Although no major damage has been identified, Vijay has been advised rest for 10 days, which rules him out of the second Test starting August 19

However, he will stay with the team and will return upon completion of the series.

Parallels from the past

This is the third time in as many years that Vijay is facing an injury scare right at the start of a domestic season. Previously in 2015, Vijay suffered a shoulder injury while fielding in an India A match, while in 2016 he was ruled out of the India A trip to Australia with a knee injury.

Author’s take

The injury comes at a really bad time for the budding cricketer who was just flourishing in the international circuit. However, since Vijay has been plagued by recurring injuries for quite some time, he should ensure not to compromise on his fitness and focus on nursing his shoulder in a bid to regain strength and return to the squad.