Murali Vijay - A tale of missed chances

Murali Vijay

Sometimes, it seems really puzzling that a batsman who had a dashing entry in Ranji Trophy in 2008, has not been able to excel thereafter. Murali Vijay got many chances to cement his place in the Indian team, but he has hardly delivered. Even on the 2011 tour of West Indies, he got a good run of chances but was not able to do anything remarkable and was eventually dropped. In recent times, he has got many more chances, but he has hardly proved anything.

Many of his fans feel that this tour of South Africa is perhaps the last opportunity for Murali Vijay to excel, because the competition is very intense. He should realize that he is already 29 years of age and unfortunately does not possess an impressive track record. There are many who believe that though Vijay has got the talent, he has not been able to fully utilize that. Also, many of the fans wonder as to how he has been able to put up so far, despite his relatively slow reflexes.

In this era of competitive cricket, one is supposed to pounce on every opportunity but Murali Vijay appears to be a bit careless in this area. He is known to be a good stroke player with a substantial level of maturity alongside his natural skills, but something important still seems to be missing.

Though Vijay looks quite calm while batting, he almost always falls short of expectations in terms of runs scored.

The stats also do not favour Vijay, who has played 18 Tests and 29 innings – having a mediocre batting average of 38.20. His batting averages in ODIs and T-20 are even poorer – 19.46 and 17.42 respectively. Incidentally he has scored all his three centuries against Australia, including his 167 in Hyderabad.

Vijay is very often criticized for being inconsistent. Also, he is not counted among the trustworthy batsmen. Very often he has been seen struggling like a newcomer, especially outside the sub-continent.

Vijay had earlier played one Test in Durban and his track record in South Africa is not very sparkling. He could only score 19 runs in the first innings before falling to Dale Steyn, and in the second innings he made a meagre 9 runs. He has the habit of trying too many shots too quickly, thereby not achieving much.

Previously, I used to wonder as to why he always gets criticized; after all, he is a good defensive player. But I’ve realized now that as an opener, one has a larger responsibility to contribute substantially and to build a strong foundation for one’s team.

By and large, it is not expected that he will be able to effect any radical changes in the second Test, as the spirit to outperform is sadly missing. Still, we appreciate the services rendered by him.