India’s regular Test opening batsman Murali Vijay has been out of action for the last 5 months. He last appeared for India in the Test series against Australia earlier this year. He had to miss the Indian Premier League due to an injury. He was selected for the tour to Sri Lanka but an injury ruled him out.
Shikhar Dhawan was named his replacement for the Test series and the left-hander made full use of the opportunity. He scored 2 centuries in the series and ended up being the Man of the Series. While there is no doubt that Vijay will be the preferred choice for the opener’s slot once he comes back, Dhawan has surely made a name for himself in his absence.
Murali Vijay was recently seen chilling in the Covelong Festival in the state of Tamil Nadu. Amidst the fun, a reporter asked him whether he would be a little out of shape when he makes a comeback to the national setup again to which Vijay replied, “You never forget to brush your teeth.”
Vijay further went on to say that he is not thinking about the game right now and he has belief in his abilities.
“At the moment I am not thinking about it. I strongly believe in my abilities. As the series nears, I’d work accordingly on what I am lacking at that moment and try to be better,” he was quoted as saying by Sportstarlive.
Team India is scheduled to play a lot of limited overs cricket in the coming months. Australia and New Zealand will be touring the country for ODI and T20I series. Vijay is not considered for selection for limited overs cricket and hence, it will be a while till he dons the Indian jersey again.
Sri Lanka will be touring India at the end of the year for one and half months that will include series of all the 3 formats. That’s when Vijay will next be seen playing for India in the Test series.