Former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Vijay Shankar recently shed light on how he dealt with trolls after IPL 2026. Shankar recently participated in the Lankan Premier League 2026 and he is currently taking part in European T20 Premier League.
The right-handed batter played out a maiden over and was dismissed on the final ball when his team needed 22 runs in the final over. After the loss, Shankar was brutally trolled on the social media.
“For me, what is painful is that many people’s careers have ended because of things like this. So, this is actually a career-threatening issue. I came out of it. But even if I came out, where can I go?” he said. (via Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel)
Meanwhile, Shankar explained that they had lost wickets in quick succession and all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was also dismissed. He was batting with the tail and thus tried to farm the strike. The Tamil Nadu cricketer said there were a couple of opportunities to take double but there was a risk of run-out.
“The situation was such that when I went in, the game was almost done. We needed 22 runs in an over. As soon as I went in, it was a Power Blast, which is a two-over period where they could call the fielders inside. I was playing the situation. After a good over, Hasaranga got out. I had a good start but he got out towards the end of the over and subsequent batters also got out. I was batting with the tailenders and could not give strike to them. I was trying to hit. There were two chances to take doubles but if we got run out, it would be a waste. I also thought about net run rate and tried to take it close. This is exactly what happened.”
Shankar admitted it was difficult for him to cope up with all the trolling and it had an impact on his cricket career.
“It was definitely a bit hard for me. When people talk without knowing the situation, it is tough. I have come to these leagues to play cricket and become a better cricketer. So when things like this come out, it might affect the growth of my cricketing career. I had such thoughts like, when I go to another tournament, what will they think of me, or how will they look at me?,” the former CSK cricketer added.
Shankar last played in the IPL in the 2025 season.
