Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018: Murali Vijay left out of Tamil Nadu squad

Murali Vijay cited a shoulder injury as the reason for not reporting to the ground

What's the story?

India's Test opener Murali Vijay has been omitted from Tamil Nadu's squad for the remaining matches of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The reason for the same has been alleged to be a probable shoulder injury which did not allow him to report to the ground on time for yesterday's match against Mumbai.

However, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has clarified that it was unaware of Vijay's injury, just like the selectors and the team physio.

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An official from the state board said that Vijay did not arrive at the SSN College ground in Chennai before Thursday's game, having informed the coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar of his injury only close to 7:30 am, which was just one and a half hours before the scheduled start of the match.

The 33-year-old was a part of Tamil Nadu's first two matches, in which he scored 11 against Gujarat and 51 against Goa respectively. His place in the squad has now been taken by Pradosh Ranjan Paul.

The heart of the matter

This is the second injury setback for the side in this tournament, having already lost opener Abhinav Mukund earlier. The TNCA was reportedly disappointed with the development. "How can we find a replacement at the last minute?" a second official asked.

"Vijay didn't report to the ground and neither did he inform the selectors about his injury. It was very disappointing to say the least.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened," a top TNCA official told ESPNcricinfo. "The selectors weren't even inclined towards picking him in the four-day squads [for the Ranji Trophy matches] in the first place because of issues with his attitude and general aloofness."

Author's Take

If Vijay did know of the injury beforehand, then it was a highly irresponsible behaviour from an experienced campaigner like him, especially knowing that Mukund was already ruled out with an injury of his own.