Vijay Shankar is an Indian cricketer all-rounder for the Tamil Nadu state cricket team. Shankar is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm medium pace. Significant contributions at both domestic and international levels mark his cricketing journey.

Shankar's domestic career began with notable performances for Tamil Nadu. He won two Man of the Match awards in the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy knockout stage. In the quarterfinal against Vidarbha, he scored 111 and 82, leading Tamil Nadu to progress on a first-innings lead despite the match being drawn. In the semifinal against Maharashtra, he scored 91 and took 2/47, again earning the Man of the Match award as Tamil Nadu advanced to the final on a first-innings lead. In the final against Karnataka, Shankar scored 5 and 103 and took 1/92, but Karnataka won the title with an innings victory.

Shankar led the Tamil Nadu team to title victories in the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy. In October 2018, he was named in India C's squad for the 2018–19 Deodhar Trophy, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker with seven dismissals in three matches. The following month, he was listed as one of eight players to watch ahead of the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy. In October 2019, he was named to India B's squad for the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy. He captained Tamil Nadu in their title-winning campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (2021–2022).

Shankar's Indian Premier League (IPL) career began with the Chennai Super Kings in 2014, where he played one match. In 2017, he played four games for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, with his highest score being 63 not out against the Gujarat Lions on 13 May 2017. In January 2018, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils in the 2018 IPL auction. He returned to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2019 IPL season. The International Cricket Council (ICC) named him as one of eight players to watch ahead of the 2019 IPL tournament. In February 2022, Shankar was bought by the Gujarat Titans for the 2022 IPL season.

Shankar's international career saw a significant start when he was named Bhuvneshwar Kumar's replacement in India's Test squad for their series against Sri Lanka on 20 November 2017, although he did not play in any match. In February 2018, he was named to India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy. Shankar made his T20I debut for India against Sri Lanka on 6 March 2018. He took his first T20I wicket in his second match, dismissing Mushfiqur Rahim via the Umpire Decision Review System. In the second match of the Nidahas Trophy, he took two wickets for 32 runs, helping India win by six wickets and earning the Player of the Match award.

In January 2019, Shankar was named as the replacement for Hardik Pandya for the remaining two One Day Internationals (ODI) of the Australian tour and the entire limited-overs series in New Zealand following Pandya's suspension due to controversial remarks on a TV show. Shankar made his ODI debut against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 18 January 2019.

In April 2019, Shankar was named to India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which generated media buzz as he was chosen ahead of experienced players like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina. The ICC listed him as one of the five surprise picks for the tournament. During the match against Pakistan, Shankar took a wicket with his first ball, becoming the third player to achieve this feat in a World Cup.