"True team player and magnificent batsman" - Indian cricketers react as Murali Vijay announces retirement from international cricket

Former Team India opener Murali Vijay announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, January 30. The 38-year-old revealed his decision through an official statement shared on his Twitter account.

The defiant right-handed batter made his debut for India in a Test match against Australia in Nagpur in November 2008. Vijay went on to represent the country in 61 Tests, scoring 3982 runs at an average of 38.28, with 12 hundreds and 15 fifties. His best of 167 came against Australia in Hyderabad in March 2013. Vijay’s last Test was also against the Aussies - in Perth in December 2018.

Apart from representing India with decent success in red-ball matches, the Tamil Nadu cricketer also played 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, scoring 339 and 169 runs, respectively. Despite his success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he couldn’t quite deliver the results in white-ball cricket on the international stage.

A number of Vijay’s former teammates wished him on his international retirement, praising his contribution to Indian cricket. Here’s a compilation of some reactions:

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“My journey from 2002 to 2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life” - Vijay in retirement note

Sharing his retirement note on Twitter, Vijay described it as an honor to represent India at the highest level of the sport. He wrote:

“Today, immense gratitude and humility, I announce my retirement from all forms of international cricket. My journey from 2002 to 2018 has been the most wonderful years of my life for it was an honour representing India at the highest level of sport.”

He added that he would look to explore new opportunities in the game, including the business side of it. His retirement statement further read:

“I am excited to announce that I will be exploring new opportunities in the world of cricket & the business side of it, where I will also continue to participate in the sport that I love and challenge myself in new and different environment. I believe that this is the next step in my journey as a cricketer and I look forward to this new chapter in my life.

“I wish all my former teammates and the Indian cricket team all the best for future endeavors.”

Apart from representing India in all three formats, Vijay also featured in 106 IPL matches, scoring 2619 runs at an average of 25.93 and a strike rate of 121.87. He scored two hundreds and 13 fifties in the T20 league, tasting most of his success with the Chennai Super Kings.